Learning To Listen

Learning to Listen

Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.

Proverbs 12:15

WE WILL NEVER RESOLVE conflicts if we don’t learn to listen. Many people think they are listening when in fact they are simply taking a break from talking—pausing to reload their verbal guns. The above verse from Proverbs doesn’t pull any punches when it calls those who don’t listen fools. We may not like that word, but the truth is, refusing to listen reveals a lack of humility. Wise people listen to others—especially those they love. Genuine listening means seeking to understand what the other person is thinking and feeling. It involves putting ourselves in the other person’s shoes and trying to look at the world through his or her eyes.

Here’s a good sentence with which to begin: “I want to understand what you are saying because I know it is important.” One man told me that he made a sign which read, “I am a listener.” When his wife started talking, he would hang it around his neck to remind himself of what he was doing. His wife would smile and say, “I hope it’s true.” He learned to be a good listener.

Lord Jesus, thank you for listening to me when I pray. Help me to listen to my spouse—really listen—so I can understand him or her better.

Listening