In the Jewish tradition, to hear another person’s words is a greatly important act. In the Bible, Jesus says the line, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” In fact, this sentiment appears several times throughout the Bible. I need to take a page from this book. I need to focus on hearing and on listening.

In my short life so far, I’ve learned a couple of things about myself: I love wisdom, and I love people. I enjoy sharing the wisdom I stumble upon with the people in my life whenever possible. I hold wisdom to be a treasure; how selfish would it be for me to keep it all to myself? But I’ve been thinking recently. Perhaps it may be wiser to talk less. My good friend is like this. Let’s call her L. She’s pensive and reserved — quiet. She thinks a lot. She’s inspired me. I’m going to stop talking as much and listen more. I’m going to hear with these ears of mine.

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” This proverb is mainly attributed to the stoic philosopher, Epictetus. It’s quite useful in our everyday dialogue. When we listen, we will start to realize the world is singing a quiet song. When we quiet our mouths and our minds, this song becomes louder; our empathy becomes greater. When we listen, we no longer become fountains spouting forth but basins ready to receive.

And so I will practice “the art of L.” In my walk of faith with Christ, this is especially important for me to do so — it is incredibly important for me to hear and to listen. Oftentimes, I sit and make requests to God, but I listen to him way less than I ought to. Truly, the more I listen to the beautiful world around me, hear its people and listen to God, the more wisdom and treasure I will uncover.