Sometimes we just need to SHUT UP and Listen.
I don’t mean looking at someone while they’re talking and being quiet while your brain is thinking about tomorrow, or your TO-DO list. I mean fully tuned in and listen to every word that the person says.
Did you know that usually when someone asks a question they want you to ask the same question back to them? It is their way of showing you how to communicate with them. They are giving you something to break the ice – something to talk about.
Jesus spent most of His time asking questions. Did you know in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus asked close to 100 questions?
The hardest thing to do sometimes is be still and listen. We just got to tell ourselves to shut up, tell our mind to be quiet and our feet to be still.
Psalm 81:13 “If my people would but listen to me.”
Matthew 11:15 “He who has ears, let him ear.”
James 1:19 “Should be quick to listen and slow to speak.”
Are you a listener?
Do you often interrupt others while they’re talking?
Now, I am by far the best listener, but I’ll never forget what someone tells me. I may forget the pity stuff, but the real stuff sticks like glue. If I’m truly still and listening I’ll remember what they tell me. I’ll even give advice when wanted and try to help that person if I can. Often times our friends/family just want someone to listen.
Don’t be a story stealer if you’re talking to someone. The common “If you think that is something…”, or the “Oh, that’s not nothing” routine. Let the person talk, you are more likely to lose friends if you constantly steal their story.
Epictetus “Nature gave us one tongue and two ears, we so could hear twice as much as we speak.”
Proverbs 18:13 “He who answers before listening – that is his folly and his shame”
So, are you a good listener?
We're Jumpin' 
lovelylici1986
/ May 3, 2012Awesome post!
I think I may be TOO good a listener. I barely say anything when someone else is talking to me. I always fight the urge to say, “Oh, well listen to THIS!” and things like that. I keep track of points I want to make when the person is done. I’m even afraid to ask questions while they talk because I don’t want them to forget what they were saying, or what was coming next. For people who don’t know me, it may seem like I’m not interested, or I’m just super boring with nothing to say. I may be a bit too polite. Imagine that! Hahaha
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We're Jumpin'
/ May 3, 2012lol, I can understand that. You respect people when they talk, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I often want people to talk to me, and well totally forget what I was going to say.
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Just Rambling
/ May 3, 2012Interesting. Good post! I am a very very good listener. But it basically means I just shut up when someone is talking. I don’t always listen. It really depends on who’s talking to me. If it’s someone I am interested in, I listen. But it’s always easy to pretend you’re listening by nodding or saying ‘hm’ at the right time. I’m good at that too, unfortunately. So… anyway. I am not very talkative, I think I can listen better than I do now. Good post!
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We're Jumpin'
/ May 3, 2012You always make me smile! Thank you Ruth! We all “listen” to accordingly, if we want to, but sometimes we might found out something we never knew if we actually listened. I am still learning too.
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