Listen Up

With such amazing technological advances, people are able to communicate in ways never thought possible. With the development of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, any person with internet access can tell the world every thought that crosses his or her mind. In recent weeks, revolutions have been successfully organized through these means. Of course, not every post is as relevant as “viva la revolucion.” Some simply want to convey the author’s annoyance with McDonalds servers or a particular brand of shampoo. In a world where we are enabled to share every thought that crosses our minds, it is worth considering how these advances have affected our abilities to listen. While we are aware of others’ comments, we may be tempted to read them while thinking of what our response will be. The goal, then is not truly hearing what others want to communicate, but crafting a more clever reply than theirs.

I am reminded of a much publicized radio transcript between an American navy ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in 1995:
Americans: “Please divert your course 15 degrees to the North to avoid a collision.”
Canadians: “Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.”
Americans: “This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.”
Canadians: “No. I say again, you divert YOUR course.”
Americans: “THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS LINCOLN, THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE UNITED STATES' ATLANTIC FLEET. WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS. I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH, THAT'S ONE FIVE DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP.”
Canadians: “This is a lighthouse. Your call.”
The U.S. captain was so adamant about getting his way and making his point that he completely missed a vital piece of information. He was more interested in being heard than in hearing someone else.

Some of the best advice I have ever been given comes in the form of a simple statement: seek first to understand and only then to be understood. The point is that a person should always understand what another person is saying before he formulates, much less communicates, his own opinion. This message also appears in the book of James. The author writes, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” (James 1:19-20). Quick to hear, slow to speak. Quick to hear, slow to speak. While this is immensely important in all life circumstances, it is especially important when it comes to sharing the Gospel with others.

We have a tendency to assume many things about other people. Most of this is due to how our brains work. We essentially create a filing system so that we can organize and retrieve information quickly. When a new person comes into our lives, our mind looks for a folder in which to place him or her. The Gospel of Christ is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16-17), and every person on earth needs salvation. However, every person on earth is different and perhaps they each need to be presented the Gospel in a somewhat different way. Over and over, we see Jesus meeting people where they were and on there terms. Paul wrote, “I have become all things to all people so that I may win some” (1 Cor. 9:22). To follow their example, we must become listeners who understand the people around us because we have heard what they actually said.