By a social God, (who is both three and one), we are created into social beings with social needs.
One of our strongest social needs is that we as human beings want to be recognized. We want to be seen and we want to be listened to.
When we therefore listen to another human being, it is something we do not just for our own sake; to receive information we believe may be of interest to us. When we listen, we are meeting another person's needs. It is an act that results in someone feeling seen and recognized. It is an act of love.
But it seems to me that in our Christian congregations we do not consider this act of love to have anything to do with the commandment, “to love one's neighbor as oneself.” Despite what Jesus said to us, that it was precisely our love for one another that would make Him credible to the people of this world.
But a change is within reach. If we want to.
Welcome to visit the site, Listening and Christian love, www.listeningandchristianlove.com God bless you. Stephen.A.
One of our strongest social needs is that we as human beings want to be recognized. We want to be seen and we want to be listened to.
When we therefore listen to another human being, it is something we do not just for our own sake; to receive information we believe may be of interest to us. When we listen, we are meeting another person's needs. It is an act that results in someone feeling seen and recognized. It is an act of love.
But it seems to me that in our Christian congregations we do not consider this act of love to have anything to do with the commandment, “to love one's neighbor as oneself.” Despite what Jesus said to us, that it was precisely our love for one another that would make Him credible to the people of this world.
But a change is within reach. If we want to.
Welcome to visit the site, Listening and Christian love, www.listeningandchristianlove.com God bless you. Stephen.A.
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