I often find myself finishing my husband’s sentences. TV sitcoms would have me believe this is a good thing, a sign of how close we are. But sadly, this isn’t true. Instead it’s a sign of my impatience, and it frustrates my husband. Instead of listening to what he’s saying, I let him get about halfway, finish his thought in my head, and move right into my response. Sometimes I predict correctly what his point will be. Sometimes I don’t. In those cases, he says, “Let me finish…” which always perplexes and frustrates me because in my mind, he had finished and made his point.
Many of our arguments could be avoided if I would obey today’s verse and spend more time listening fully before formulating my response or reacting to what I assumed he meant. Quick to listen. Slow to speak. Slow to anger.
It kind of surprises me that this is a challenge for me because I’m an introvert. I’m not a big talker. I am quiet and would rather not be the one talking in a group, in general. So why do I have a hard time listening? Part of it is just plain old impatience. But another part is that I’m the kind of person who wants to fix things. I think listening equals fixing. But it doesn’t. In fact, rarely is anyone asking me for advice. Just because someone is describing a problem to me doesn’t mean they want me to fix it or offer suggestions.
It’s taken me many years and many bumpy relationships to realize this. But all I had to do was read this verse.
Dear God,
Thank you for this wise verse and wonderful relationship-mending advice. Help me to remember it and put it into practice today and in every conversation. Teach me to listen well, to take time to understand what people are saying, whether I agree with them or not, before responding with my own thoughts. And please give me wisdom so when I do start speaking, it builds others up and is helpful or comforting or meets their needs in some way I may not even understand. Thank you for listening to me.
CamDevo 