Today's Scripture Reading (August 30, 2022): Psalms 116 & 117
As William Wilberforce fought
against the practice of slavery in Britain, he tried to speak very plainly
about what was happening in the name of Britain in the trade. Wilberforce talked
about the pain and death that
accompanied slavery, made worse by the callousness with which slave traffickers went about
their business. He aimed to remove excuses from any of the people who
listened to his words, including the British Parliament, which kept the laws in force that allowed slavery to exist legally. His response to Parliament was succinct. "You may choose to look the other way but you can never
say again that you did not know" (William Wilberforce).
Sometimes, being heard is enough.
In customer relations training, one of the central instructions for dealing
with an upset customer is to listen to and hear them. Don't try to interrupt
with excuses; allow them to vent about their experience and let them feel that
they have been heard. Once they have been heard, you can move on to attempt to
solve the problem; usually, the customer will value the experience. All because
we all have an innate need just to be heard.
But it also has to go beyond just
listening; some remedial action is needed. And it is possible to let the
customer lead even in this area. Let them tell you what they want before you
begin negotiating what the company is willing to do. Especially if you want to
keep the customer, each step is incredibly important.
At the time of the Exodus, God came
to Moses and said,
I have indeed seen the misery of my
people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers,
and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue
them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into
a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus
3:7-8).
The
first thing God says is that he has seen and heard Israel. And because he has
seen and listened to the people, he is concerned. It was the precise motive for
Wilberforce's description of slavery to his colleagues in the government. I
want you to hear the story and introduce you to an enslaved person so you will
be moved to concern. And then, maybe, you will be ready to take action
The
Psalmist exclaims that he loves God because he knows God has heard him. He hopes
that God will become concerned about his plight after hearing him. And the
Psalmist believes God has heard him; God has been moved by his cries because
God has extended mercy to him in his time of need.
Today's Scripture Reading: Psalm
118
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