What to Do When You Don't Know What to DoSample

Have you ever been talking to someone only to realize they’re not actually listening to you? Or maybe you’ve been the one who’s dropped the ball on listening. Maybe you’ve been halfway through a conversation before you realized you had no idea what the other person had been saying. You had checked out and missed the whole conversation! 

A Greek philosopher, Epictetus, once said, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” In other words, listening is so much more important a tool than speaking. Which is exactly what James, the brother of Jesus is saying here. We should rush to listen, and slow down before speaking. It takes a certain level of maturity to actively listen to someone else. But when we practice this—when we truly and actively listen to others—we not only get the chance to show them respect, we grow in maturity in our own right as well. Today, as you find yourself in conversation with others, practice active listening.