The Great Dialogue

The longer I live the more convinced I am that we must all learn to dialogue in a better way. There are too many of us who are convinced that we are right. When you think you are right about everything you tend to talk to people instead of with people.

Our world is changing and with it we are changing. There are so many different views that are competing for attention that if we do not learn to dialogue with each other we will just keep dividing into different polarized factions.

A dialogue is a conversation between two or more persons. It is not one person telling the others what to believe and what to think. I have caught that tendency in myself - talking to others instead of with others. Someone once told me that you have two ears and one mouth for a reason. As I listen to the news and to myself, I can see clearly that the art of listening is second to the art of telling and talking.

We are so worried about our views being heard that we tend not to be concerned about other views, especially when we are convinced that ours are right. The major issue with that is it tends to make us self-centered instead of other-centered. Jesus was clear on that one, "love your neighbor as yourself."

As a Believer in Christ, my desire is to be part of the great dialogue in order for Christ to work through His unifying power in me and others. Truth is found in Jesus Christ and in Christ in us; it is not found only in us. Paul, Peter, James and the list goes on... all were eager to dialogue with those who knew the truth and those who did not know the truth for one reason: to give the Holy Spirit a chance to work through them in others for the glory of God. Blessings!