My 13 year old son and I are sharing a word this year. It came to him during an ‘aha’ moment of scripture he found regarding the word. You will listen and listen but never understand; you will look and look but never see. Matthew 13:14. He said him and his small group leader talked about listening and hearing what someone was saying and not just answering “huh.”

I choose the word after a conversation between my 13 and 5 year old where they discussed how mom does not listen to them and just yells at them when they are in trouble. Of course this came when I told them I was not mad at them or blaming either of them, but they both needed to have a time out to calm down. Anyway it hit me that yes, this was something I could work on as well, especially if my children were discussing it. (you know the out of the mouth of babes.)

We have only been using the word for one week and it has already transformed itself in our house to not just listening to each other, but listening to ourselves and the words we speak. I think this will be a wonderful year seeing how ‘Listen’ transforms a teenager and his mom!