Listening

Sometimes the best thing you can do is to listen to people. And listening is hard work.

Don't jump to solutions. Listen carefully. Listen for a long time. Listen compassionately.

Wait out the pauses without interrupting. Let people tell you things you already know - they need to hear it from their own lips. It won't hurt you to hear it again.

Listening is a ministry of its own. Life is not a race to the end of the story. It is the story.

Listen and people will share their lives with you.