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Okay, let’s get right at it. Why is it so hard to get people to listen to you? For the same reason you don’t like to do it. Listening is an act of surrender—you surrender the agenda to the speaker. You lose control of the conversation. The speaker will probably start telling you what to do (God forbid). You probably know everything the person is going to say (blah, blah, blah; yada, yada, yada). Listening seems weak.
Except that it’s good. And godly. And smart. “He who answers before listening—that is his folly and his shame” (Proverbs 18:13). You can’t learn when you’re talking. Listening shows respect to someone else. Listening first helps you avoid revealing that you don’t know what you’re talking about. Listening first gives you time to organize and focus your thoughts, so that when it is your turn, your words will have greater impact.
Practicing listening to other people is also excellent training to help you listen better to God.
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