REAL LISTENING
The story is told of a grandmother, a mother and a little boy--three generations--who went into a restaurant and sat down to order. The waitress took the grandmother’s order, the mother’s order, then turned to the little boy and said, "What would you like?"
The mother immediately said, "Oh, I’ll order for him." This is typical and necessary in many cases. But the waitress, without being overly rude, ignored the mother and said again to the little boy, "What would you like?"
Glancing over at his mother to see how she was reacting to all of this, the boy said, "A hamburger."
"How would you like your hamburger--with mustard and pickles and the works?" asked the waitress. And with his mouth dropping open in amazement now, he said, "The works!" She went over to the short order window and she hollered the grandmother’s order, the mother’s order, then in a very loud voice she said, "And a hamburger with the works!"
The little boy turned to his mother in utter astonishment and said, "Mommy, she thinks I’m real."
This is what happens when we listen to other persons. They suddenly become real. They realize that someone cares enough to recognize their unique worth as human beings.
(From a sermon by Bobby Bodenhamer "Listen to Love" 12/27/2008)