Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Psalm 34:11

Are you a good listener? It seems that often we have our own agenda. We have a message to deliver, an opinion that must be stated… and we wonder why our words fall on deaf ears.

Although he is not a follower of Christ, a retired doctor friend relayed an interesting observation as it related to one of his patients years ago.

“A long time patient remained hostile, guarded, and occasionally required re-admission to the hospital, but, eventually, he told me of his interest in fishing. I then asked about this in every visit with me. He described fishing trips he took with his father. Sometimes he brought in photos of fish he’d caught. He began taking his medication.”

He closed with the observation that “far too often, those treating the sick are not told the importance of simply spending time with patients, listening to them, trying to find some common interest. I was taught to discuss medications, explain the reasons for their use, and to explore the roadblocks to taking them, such as side effects and cost. That’s not a bad idea, but often you have to first listen to their fish stories.”

Many of us are passionate about an opportunity to share the Gospel with someone else, but what if we took the good doctor’s advice? Spend some time with others. Listen to them. Find some common interests.

Is there a relationship you can begin to invest in today?