Shutting Up for Jesus

To many who suffer in silence, the greatest need is not answers, but the presence of another. They need someone who notices their suffering. I believe that on the cross Jesus exhibited God's willingness to listen to everything we can suffer--isolation, rejection, loss, death, shame, weakness, judgment--the list could go on. By listening (deeply, attentively) to those we live, work, play, study with we are, in a real way, carrying our own cross and showing the work of God.

This morning I came across the phrase in the subject line: Shutting Up for Jesus. I grew up singing "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus!"--something that's good to do! But I have only recently started thinking that if I stand up for God as Jesus did, that perhaps standing up means offering attention; offering a listening ear. This is risky, of course. Sometimes listening to others means hearing things they believe that we don't. Maybe it means hearing false beliefs about God that they hold deeply. The desire in these times is usually to speak--right when the other person is sharing something they deeplybelieve. When I consider the accusations that I have brought to God, he has corrected *some* of them. But even with those, he always listened intently first.

I do notice the irony of *telling* other people about *listening,* just so you know!