The Better To Hear You With

The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention.  ~Thich Nhat Hanh

We have two ears and one mouth...that means we should listen twice as much as we talk. Listening is as much a part of communication as talking.  More importantly, listening is an important part of being a good friend.

We all know what it is like being a part of a conversation just waiting for our turn to talk and not really hearing what the other person has to say.  Our minds are thinking about what will come out of our mouth next and not listening to the other part of the conversation.

Listening is valuable...we can learn new things, we can learn about each other and we can recognize when there are situations that may need our attention. We need to be attentive to listening carefully.

Too often are people quick to open their mouths.  Have you ever played the telephone game?  The one where you start out with a sentence or phrase and whisper it to the person next to you.  The phrase is passed through multiple people.  By the time it gets to the end of the group, it is rarely the same groups of words that was said at the beginning.

Two problems here...People aren't listening closely and they are just hearing and repeating what they chose to hear.

This game is a good example of why it is important to listen and to not repeat things that you are unsure.  I heard something the other day that was so twisted as far as the truth.  I happened to be there at the initial occurrence and knew what happened.  When someone said, "Did you hear...", I knew it was wrong information.  Don't take what you hear as the absolute truth.

Being a good listener is a challenge we must tackle everyday. Be diligent in using the two ears God gave you.

There are two good rules which ought to be written on every heart - never to believe anything bad about anybody unless you positively know it to be true; never to tell even that unless you feel that it is absolutely necessary, and that God is listening. 
Henry Van Dyke