Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak

Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God's righteousness.
James 1:19

What if we listened to each other?  I mean really listened to each other, even when we disagree. 

Listening always seems like a simple concept, but it truly isn’t simple at all.  Form a young age we tell children to listen, and they often won’t, don’t, or can’t.  As we grow up, we convince ourselves that we are listening, but really, we are deciding what we are going to say when it is our turn to speak.  To make matters worse, that is what happens when we agree with the other person. When we disagree, we might let them finish their thought at best, and at worst we interrupt to speak our piece, but we would never want to understand them.

Listening is not about letting someone finish a thought.  Listening is about respecting someone else enough to understand what they are saying and how they got there.  The moment we start arguing in our head or coming up with a response and rebuttal we have stopped listening and stopped dignifying the other person.  It is a rare gift to be listened to, and when we listen, we tell the other person they are worthy of dignity and respect.  Communicating those two ideas are important because the starting point of all of humanity is that we carry the image of God, and we are worthy of dignity and respect. 

May you give the gift of listening to someone this week.

And may you experience the dignity of being heard.

A small disclaimer…I used “we” throughout this reflection, and you might be a listener that is often giving that gift.  If you are I praise God for you.

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