Being a better listener takes practice. Here are a few things to consider in being a good listener:
In other words, be eager to listen, not eager to respond. James 1:19 tells us, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” If we concentrate on what is being said and not on how we want to respond, we will not only be better listeners, but we will also hear more of what others are saying.
I heard a mom say to her child one time, “Listen to me with your face.” Whenever we look into someone’s face and turn our bodies towards the one speaking, we are communicating concern for the other person. Don’t we want that same kind of attention when we speak? Matthew 7:12 says, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Whenever we show or match emotions with the one speaking, we communicate that we genuinely care for what the one speaking is feeling. Romans 12:15 tells us to, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”
It is so important to be a good listener. Listening people are usually wise people because they gather good and complete information. “Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days” (Proverbs 19:20).
