A young boy and his stepdad had trouble connecting with each other due to the fact that they were complete opposites. The man was outgoing; the boy was reserved. The man loved to get up early to fish; the youngster loved to sleep in and play video games all day.
The stepdad, attempting to bond with the boy, took him on a week-long fishing trip. The boy hated every second of it, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell his stepdad directly. So he wrote him a note saying he wanted to go home. The man took one look at the note, stuck it in his pocket, and kept fishing. When they finally returned home days later, the boy complained to his mother about what happened. His mother paused and said to him, “Son, what you don’t realize is that your stepdad can’t read.”
This story shows how communication breaks down when we’re unable to understand what others are saying to us. In most cases, this stems from our struggle to listen.
Perhaps this is one reason why James stressed, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry” (James 1:19).
Being eager to listen and slow to speak is a willingness to temporarily set aside our desire to be heard so that we can focus on understanding where the other person is coming from. It’s a willingness to hear the other person out without debating or getting defensive.
The Scriptures remind us that “fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions” (Proverbs 18:2). But when we listen and hold our tongues, we not only become less foolish, we also show others that we care about them and their perspectives. We show them the love God shows
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 8:26-40
More:
Check out the value of listening to “constructive criticism” as found in Proverbs 15:31.
Next:
How well do you listen to others? God patiently listens to our prayers. How does that inspire you to listen to others more intently?
Gary Shultz on October 19, 2015 at 6:55 am
Oh, so you do listen, and know that most of us don’t do too well at listening for any length of time. Guilty as charged. I find myself in the (I only listen to respond) group and often don’t deeply digest what the other person said because what I have to say is so brilliant. Hey, I’m trying to work with it and be a better listener. God is so gracious with that, He listens as we go on, He wipes our noses, dusts us off and does what He knows will be the best for us. He really does not have to listen to the likes of us; however, He delights in His children speaking to Him. Great listening. Thanks
jim spillane on October 19, 2015 at 11:13 am
Gary, regardless of whether it’s “brilliant” or not, please don’t stop replying to this forum. I always enjoy “listening” to what you have to say. But we all know that our Almighty Father is the best listener of all. Thanks and praise be to Him for the privilege of prayer.
Jeff Olson on October 19, 2015 at 3:20 pm
Jim, I appreciate to what Gary has to say too!
Winn Collier on October 28, 2015 at 5:42 pm
I really don’t think we, as a culture, know how to listen anymore. It’s a lost art that we must recover.