“Be quick to listen, slow to speak and even slower to become angry” James 1:19
God also states that “love is PATIENT, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Cor 13:4-8
Most of us aren’t good listeners because we’re too busy; and due to our busyness, we are always in a hurry. We’re thinking of our response to what someone is saying even before they even complete their sentence. When we get home, our wives want to share things with us, but we auto-respond to wanting to fix their problem instead of just listening.
It appears to me that our busyness is causing us to disobey the first definition of LOVE …. “love is patient”. It further causes us to disobey, “be quick to listen”.
We must slow up our pace of life and honor these two very important commandments: to be patient and be quick to listen!
Lord please shower us with ways to slow up our pace of life, so we can truly love others the way Jesus loves us. Amen!
In Christ,
Bill