First, as Christians we should always have our eyes wide open to the world around us and work to right the injustices and inform the ignorant of God about His great love and mercy. To ignore injustices and turn a blind eye to ignorance is to condone it and maybe even be complicit in it.
Second, we can use our ears to listen; not to hear, but to truly listen. For many of us this is a difficult task. How often do we truly take time out of our busy and noise-filled days to listen to others without simultaneously thinking what we want to say next or, more importantly, doing the same with God?
Third, James asks us to be slow to speak. Have you ever been in a conversation where you are not just thinking about what you want to say, but actually using your mouth to talk over someone else and, thus, not really listening? An example of this is political pundits on television. They think that their opinion or point of view is so important it must be heard at the expense of others. We all do it from time to time. But, when you think about it, there is a kind of arrogance associated with that—my view and beliefs trump yours (no pun intended). We need to do our best to resist this.
Fourth, James asks us to be slow to anger. Despite the many blessings given to us by God, our society harbors a lot of anger. I read somewhere that when we get angry while interacting with others our brain responds with an alarm system referred to as diffuse physiological arousal (DPA), which results in tunnel vision and tunnel hearing. Have you ever been in a heated argument with someone and you can’t understand why he/she is so illogical? It’s because of DPA—our brains shut off and are not able to listen and process logically. So, take a deep breath, relax, reflect, and put yourself in the right frame of mind to listen to others and to God’s words.
Fifth, as difficult as these are, my final takeaway from James is that we need not only to be “hearers,” but more importantly, to be “doers.” Become ‘hands on’. As we see throughout the gospels, like the blind man whose sight is restored (Mark 8:22-26), we are blessed to have the vision and the opportunity to act and to do the right thing according to the teachings of Jesus. We may not have opportunities to care for afflicted orphans or widows on a daily basis, but we can take measures to advocate and care for those most in need—the poor, those with medical and mental health problems, and those who are discriminated against—to name a few.
My hope is that we can all make the effort to truly look and listen to not only each other, but to God, and then to become doers by following His word. And that God will reward us with the sweet smell of joy, and the glorious taste of Heaven.
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