Over the last couple of months I began to notice people's conversation skills, how they listen, and examples of good listeners. When we visited the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum and Library in Atlanta, Georgia, there was a great example of listening that stood out to me. I used it in my talk:
Last Saturday, I visited the
Jimmy Carter presidential museum in Atlanta.
I was in elementary school when he was elected, so all I really
remembered about President Carter was that he was a peanut farmer and had a
daughter close to my age. It was very
interesting to me as an adult to look at his life, and see how his faith showed
through his presidency. One display
highlighted the Peace talks that he set up in 1978 at Camp David,
Maryland. This was a time when good
listening led to peace for two countries.
President Carter had established
a friendly relationship with both Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli
Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Despite their
initial efforts for peace, the two countries had a long history of difficulty
with each other. First Lady Rosalynn Carter
suggested to her husband that inviting them to Camp David, where privacy might
provide the setting for a breakthrough.
Both men accepted, but with their personality differences, it was a hard
task for President Carter to negotiate.
One was very concerned with details, whereas the other left the details
to his advisors. Carter had to listen
well as he drafted and re-drafted peace agreements. Do you know how long these peace talks
lasted? 13 DAYS! After the first 3 days, they reached an
impasse. Carter thought he might have a
fistfight on his hands. He then went
back and forth from Begins cabin, then to Sadats cabin with concessions. At one point Sadat decided to leave and
ordered for his helicopter. Carter convinced him to stay. Then Begin decided to leave but before doing
so he asked Carter to autograph pictures taken of the three men for his eight
grandchildren. Unbeknownst to him,
Carter’s secretary had found out the names of each grandchild. Carter signed each photo “with love and best
wishes to ______” and put each individual name.
When they were presented to Begin and he saw the names of each child
written on each photo, he got tears in his eyes and so did Carter. He said, “Why don’t we try one more time?”
Rosalyn confirmed this story and she believed
the pictures touched Begin’s heart as he thought about his grandchildren living
in peace. It led to the three men being
able to come up with a peace agreement between the two countries, and the Peace
Treaty between Egypt and Israel stands to this day. As Carter addressed Congress about it later,
he quoted from Jesus’s Sermon on the mount, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they shall be called children of God.”
Jimmy Carter showed excellent listening and negotiating skills and great
perseverance during that time. The bottom line of the lesson was LISTENING IS LOVING. 💜
In Matthew 26, Jesus spoke the greatest commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
Having a listening heart is loving. Having a listening heart encourages others and helps us serve them better. Hearts that listen can resolve problems, heal divisions, and promote peace. Hearts that listen can change the world.
Don't you love it when you dive into a topic and enjoy learning and sharing about it?
