Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Listen Up!
(Proverbs 18:1-24)
Communication is a two-way street. In order to be effective, each partner in marriage must head both directions—speaking and listening. In many cases, speaking comes easier than listening, especially when a sense of urgency takes control. Mere expression, however, can not solve issues. Someone must be listening, and listening attentively.
Proverbs 18:13 warns about the over-eager tongue which answers a matter before hearing it. When this happens, the mind is usually so engaged in plotting a response that it can not process what the other person is saying. Without listening, meaningful communication is impossible, and the conversation will become more heat than light.
Though one-sided conversations (held with both people talking and no one listening) may seem humorous, the Bible says that such communication methods bring both folly and shame—folly because it appears foolish and shame because it leaves issues unresolved and tempers high.
What’s the answer? In a word, listen. Concentrate your thoughts on what your spouse is saying. Be fully engaged in his/her perspective on the issue. Only then can your response be reasoned, sensible, and Biblical.
