“Seek first to understand; then to be understood.” Stephen Covey

How can I become a better listener? Well, if my mouth is moving, I am not listening. If I am thinking about my response while they are talking, I am not listening. If I am not giving them my full attention, I am not listening. To listen better, listen deliberately. Tune your whole self--eyes, ears and heart--to the person who is speaking. Listen so well that you could explain their point of view to someone else, even if you disagree with it. Understanding begins when we stand and look where others stand and look.

“If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.” Prov.18  Conversations Within” ts 1/27/2017

“Seek first to understand; then to be understood.” Stephen Covey

How can I become a better listener? Well, if my mouth is moving, I am not listening. If I am thinking about my response while they are talking, I am not listening. If I am not giving them my full attention, I am not listening. To listen better, listen deliberately. Tune your whole self--eyes, ears and heart--to the person who is speaking. Listen so well that you could explain their point of view to someone else, even if you disagree with it. Understanding begins when we stand and look where others stand and look.

“If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.” Prov.18  Conversations Within” ts 1/27/2017

“The first duty of love is to listen.” Paul Tillich

Listening is itself an act of love. It is a singular kindness that we freely give to people when we stop long enough to give them our personal attention. Lord knows we should not try and impress people with what we know, but to make others feel their own importance to us by giving them our complete attention. If we were to ask someone we just spent an hour with how they felt about the conversation, would we have left them with the impression of how important we are to them, or how important they are to us?

“...give preference to one another in honor…” Rom.12.10 Conversations Within” ts 1/26/2017

“The first duty of love is to listen.” Paul Tillich

Listening is itself an act of love. It is a singular kindness that we freely give to people when we stop long enough to give them our personal attention. Lord knows we should not try and impress people with what we know, but to make others feel their own importance to us by giving them our complete attention. If we were to ask someone we just spent an hour with how they felt about the conversation, would we have left them with the impression of how important we are to them, or how important they are to us?

“...give preference to one another in honor…” Rom.12.10 Conversations Within” ts 1/26/2017

“Empathy is about standing in someone else's shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes.” Daniel Pink

We can listen with our eyes, and our heart as much as with our ears. When we listen to someone, we should try to see the world through their eyes. We can listen so well that we not only know what someone has said, but we can feel the emotion in their words. Listen to see what they see, and to feel what they feel. God showed us that He was serious about listening to us when Christ put on a pair of our sandals and lived in them.

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them…” Matt.9.36 Conversations Within” ts 1/25/2017