Share God's Love By Listening

God made this verse for me! He knows that I tend to try to fix things with my words. To be slow to speak and quick to listen is HIS powerful wisdom.

I think about the times our children tell us something they heard in school that isn’t right. Or maybe they are being unusually naughty.  Those times are when I can easily just start talking and trying to fix everything with my words, but listening is so much more powerful.

Listening “tells” the other person I care for them and I respect them. When I put my own emotions off and really work to understand what is going on in my child or husband or friend’s heart, I can learn a lot more of what they are needing. Active listening includes asking questions to clarify what the other person is thinking. It is taking time and letting the other person have time in the conversation to gather their thoughts.

Listening gives everyone in an emotion filled conversation time to process truth from perceptions. For example, my daughter might be super naughty and I use words to discipline but miss out on the fact that earlier that day she had been hurt by someone else. Her real need is to talk about what happened earlier and receive comfort and compassion.  But if I don’t listen first, I miss her real need and I only act out of my perception.

There is a lot of assault on Jesus that our children hear every day. They need to feel safe processing it with us. They need to know they can talk it out without us getting all preachy or dramatic or angry.

Listening teaches our children to listen. Our kids emulate everything we do. If I have a problem with my kids not listening to me, maybe it is because I don’t listen to them.

When our kids know we care enough to listen they will care about what we have to say also. 

A DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Jesus, give me love and patience to listen to the people you have in my life today. Make my words be your truth and your love. Amen.