Are You Listening
Clinton and Ohlschlager, in their book, Competent Christian Counseling, share six (6) ways that listening is done poorly:
- Inadequate listening. Becoming easily distracted. Tuning out!
- Evaluative or judgmental listening. Instead of JUST listening, sometimes we listen to tear apart or to constantly evaluate.
- Filtered listening. Picking out ONLY what we want to hear and not focusing on the WHOLE story or explanation.
- Rehearsing instead of listening. I do it all the time. Just ask Anna. Thinking about your response before the one sharing is done with their message.
- Sympathetic listening. This is projecting your concern beyond what is needed. Becoming emotionally responsive the is “over the top.”
- Interrupting. Stopping someone before they are done.
Our society does a horrible job at listening. May it not be true of us who call ourselves followers of Christ.
“He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 11.15
