October 2 - Empathy

One of the hardest things to do is to listen without response.  Try it some time.  Most likely, you will find yourself trying to solve the other person's problem before that person has even finished speaking. We have the answer. We know the direction they should take. We are swelled with passion, ready to steer them in the right path. Once they see it our way, they will be much better off. We can't wait to make them understand this concept. Stephen R. Covey, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", wrote, "Seek first to understand" involves a very deep shift in paradigm. We typically seek first to be understood. Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. They're either speaking or preparing to speak. They're filtering everything through their own paradigms, reading their autobiography into other people's lives." Listen completely; hear the whole story, then in the silence that follows, we will better know our neighbor. And, in this knowledge, we can hear God's response.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? - Romans 8:31