Patrick provides solid practical advice for this week’s Comment of the Week. On the devotion 10/17, he emphasizes how important it is to listen in all our daily relationships:
Listening is a critical skill in achieving good communication. There is a difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is passive. It does not require effort or attention on our behalf. There are so many words flowing over us daily. It would be impossible to listen to them all, but it’s important to distinguish between the dross and the gold. The gold is the communication from those we love. We need to LISTEN with empathy and try to get to the feelings being expressed without judgment. Gently test for your understanding of what you have just heard by gently asking the individual for confirmation. Listening is not easy. In fact, it’s difficult, but in the minefield of interpersonal communication, it is a critical skill to learn.
