One of the habits of children is to have their palms open to receive. It is while watching this nature of theirs to receive, it occurred to me that life symbolises stories of receiving from the time a person is conceived and formed in his or her mother's womb.
The gift of giving and the grace of receiving are intertwined.
I met a senior citizen in the shopping complex. He bought three packets of roasted cashew nuts. While he was about to get in to the waiting autorikshaw, a person came to greet him. After the conversation, he gave him one packet of the nuts.
I watched the delight in the faces of the senior citizen and the other person who received the gift. The giver and receiver looked delighted. It reminded me of the gift of giving and grace of receiving!
I noticed that the conversation itself was a gift given to each other! Those three or four minutes of conversation between those two friends appeared to bring cheer to both of them.
An attitude of openness to hear and listen to a person is the gift we offer. The grace of listening is a feedback to the person on how that person is received and welcomed to speak!
I realise from few conversations I have on phone, how people wait to receive the gift of being heard!
I remember the text in the epistle of James in chapter 1, verse, 19, of the New Testament of the Bible, where the author calls for an attitudinal change: 'Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry'(NIV).
I begin the day with an even more desire to have this attitude to grow within me.
Let me remember those who are waiting to be heard! They wait to receive the gift of listening!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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