Listening

I have had the priviledge of spending the last two weeks at the Training College for our intensive training. The subject we studied was called Lab 1 and is all about the skills associated with listening. Now I have always believed that I was a fairly good listener - WRONG !!! The skills we were shown and taught really emphasised the fact for me that I spent so much time thinking about my next comment and working out what the talker really wanted to tell me that half the time I wasnt listening at all. And I definitely was not reading the things that were being told beneath the surface of the words. This is quite a shock when you actually believe that you are good at something only to find out you are dreaming.
The good news is I now know that I have the skills to be a good listener, I am not afraid of the silence, I am OK with people getting emotional, I am listening for the subtle clues as to what is really being said, and most importantly I am comfortable just being there to listen to people without having to tell them my counter stories.
This was a great time and we enjoyed it all the more because we got to share a classroom with a number of friends who are either Cadets or Lieutenants, the fellowship was enjoyable and the bonds we have were deepened and developed. A fortnight like this does make you ask again just what it is that God is wanting to use you for , and how He can get the best out of you. I am praying that God will place the answer to that prayer in front of me and that I would have the courage and discernment to follow His call for my life.