Last month, I started a new side hustle working from home. Since I’m getting ready to start studying and training for a new career, I didn’t want to be tied down to a physical location and a set schedule. When I first heard about my new opportunity, I was skeptical and actually brushed it off for a couple of weeks. God did hear my prayer after all!
But something deep inside me told me to look into it and to try it out. Now, a few weeks later, I am really enjoying both the work and the unexpected life lessons I’m learning from it. Don’t judge me or get worried, but I spend 15-minute conversations with people around the world to help train AI speech patterns.
Listen to God.
That equates to four calls per hour, however many hours I want to work each day. Each talk is an opportunity for other people to learn from their perspectives. At first, I was worried for some reason that I would have an argument with someone. But in three weeks that has yet to happen, it really has taught me to listen to other people’s perspectives and not demand my way.
I have actually seen myself in some people who just won’t shut up long enough for me to get a word in. Conversations are supposed to be two-sided, not one person talking all the time. Both participants are required to have an equal amount of time talking and be actively listening to the other person.
My hope is to also encourage others with my personal experiences of overcoming hardships. But I’ve also learned to listen to other people’s stories. I have learned a lot about myself and about other people.
Some people don’t follow instructions because they are too busy talking about what they want to share. This experience has reminded me of my faith walk and how we need to learn to listen more and talk less at times. It has also reminded me that there is a difference between hearing and listening, especially when God is calling my name (Proverbs 19:20, James 1:19).
When we are young, we are taught to pay attention and obey our parents. I grew up with an Army Sgt. as a father. His job was to give orders at work. He taught me the difference between hearing and listening. He gave the order, and when I heard him, I listened by doing what I heard.
I had to learn the difference between hearing and listening the hard way. If I didn’t do what I heard my father say, I was disciplined out of his love for me (Hebrews 12:5-11). I didn’t get to question what he said; I just obeyed.
The Bible gives us wisdom about listening to and honoring our parents (Exodus 20:12, Proverbs 23:22, Ephesians 6:1-3). Our respect and relationship with our parents are reflective of our relationship with God; it is foolish to think your ways are better than God’s.
Listen to our parents
As God’s people, we are told to listen to Him and obey what He says (Deuteronomy 28:1-2, Jeremiah 7:23, James 1:22-25). We don’t question God; we obey Him and His wisdom (Proverbs 3:5-6).
God’s people don’t have the option to listen to and follow our hearts like this selfish world that is going down the wrong road in life (Jeremiah 17:9, Mark 7:23). God set us apart from this evil power-hungry world to listen to and follow His ways (Deuteronomy 7:6, 1 Peter 2:9).
Despite what many popular Christian teachers say, we cannot have it both ways; we can only listen to and serve one master (Matthew 6:24). Our Lord paid too high a price by shedding His blood for us to ignore His teachings because we don’t like what He is saying.
We prove our devotion to God by listening to Him. Jesus made it clear, He isn’t our Lord if we do not do what we hear Him saying (Matthew 7:21, Luke 6:46). Hearing is passive, listening is active. God saved us to do good works, not to just sit around and hear feel-good sermons (Matthew 5:16, Ephesians 2:8-10).
One of the things I have noticed about doing my new side hustle is that people can hear and read instructions, but not listen to or follow them. Sometimes people are so busy talking that they fail to do what the instructions say to do.
Pray and listen
Some people need to learn the art of talking less and listening more. Sometimes I have to interrupt my partner because they will not stop talking. A one-sided conversation is just a monologue, and that is self-serving.
This principle applies to our relationship with God as well. Sometimes we get so caught up in praying to God about our needs or wants that we can’t hear Him when He responds. Most people forget that the Great I am already knows what we need before we go to Him (Matthew 6:6-8; 32). It is better to pray and then sit in silence.
God’s people have never been good listeners (Exodus 32:9, Isaiah 6:9-10, Matthew 13:14-15, Hebrews 3:7-8). That is why Jesus cautioned us about long wordy prayers (Matthew 6:7, Luke 20:47). We spend so much time talking to God, we are not able to hear and listen!
