Wiser and Happier: Special Military Edition from Time of GraceSample

Talking and Listening: Two ears, one mouth 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. You’ve been trained to listen to certain people, certain authority figures. When you were a child, you listened to parents and teachers. Now you listen to people like platoon leaders and COs. The same skills that you’ve learned in making yourself listen to certain people are skills that can help you to be a better listener, period. Practicing listening to other people is also excellent training to help you listen better to God.