BETTER LISTENING
James 1:19-21
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
I am so blessed to do that God allows me to do. I meet so many amazing people and hear so many awesome stories. Many of them I can relate to and others I have no real connection to. Some of the interviews are an easy conversation and I sometimes get too involved and I have to sometimes edit out a lot of me from the program.
There is an old saying that goes, "people don't care how much you know, until the know how much you care".
In these verses James tells us not only to listen but to, "be quick to listen"... Making it an urgency.
Listening can be a gift that people are born with but it can also be acquired with a lot of practice. I've had to learn to stop myself in conversations and allow others to speak... And while they speak I need to listen intently to hear not only what their mouth is saying but more importantly, their heart.
Stephen R. Covey, in his book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People..." Adds some great words of insight.
"Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply."
If we all set our hearts on intently listening with a desire to really hear what was in the heart of the speaker, we would grow much closer to those around us. Our friendships would be much deeper, our marriages would be much happier and we would all be much wiser.
Set your heart to be a better listener.
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