We’ve had the privledge of hosting my daughter Gretchen and her two children for a week. What a joy to have a daughter who has a teachable spirit and a deep heart for God and is modeling that for her children. They are on their way to Gretchen’s mother’s side of the family reunion in Walla Walla, honoring her grandmother on her 93rd birthday.
Back now to “Suggestions for Affirming Others.”
FOCUS ON LISTENING TO OTHERS.
I am one good listener…by default. I stutter. Can’t talk. What option do I have – but to listen? One of the “blessings” of stuttering is to focus on listening. The old saying is true, “you can’t learn from others when you’re talking.” The ability to listen has in part been a reason my counseling practice was successful.
I love to hear people’s stories and in the process of listening I not only learn but also make the speaker feel better about him/herself. Would you rather be around a person who talks all the time or with one who listens and encourages you to reveal your thoughts.
In searching the word “listen” in Strong’s Concordance, I found it listed only once. Isaiah 49:1 Listen O isles, unto me; and hearken… The Hebrew word is “shama” defined in part to “hear intelligently.” Not just listen but listen intelligently. That means focus on the person and what they are communicating.
The New Living Translation of the Bible lists the word “listen” 584 times. Must be pretty important. It is interesting to note that the words “speak” and “talk” are listed about the same number of times as “listen.” For a bit of trivia, google has 283 million sites for the word.
To develop the skill of listening (without the blessing of stuttering), it seems to involve an intentional exercise. A practice of listening and then reporting back something like, "I've heard you say.... Am I listening accurately?"
Listening to others affirms their importance.
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