Proverbs 18:13 says, “He who answers before listening, that is his folly and shame.” One major obstacle to being a good listener is assuming we know what the speaker means by what he is saying. We then assign our own interpretation to the words we hear, thinking (or acting as if) we understand what is truly being said. This manner of “listening” will lead to trouble. Sometimes our assumptions are accurate, but more often they are not. Answering based on assumptions leads to communication that is not productive and, therefore, to difficulty in relationships. Exchanges like this are all too common: “You are not listening to me!” “What do you mean I am not listening to you! I heard what […]
Daily Archives: September 30, 2013
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