Where to start?

(Pro 18:13 KJV)  He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.

This may not be a problem with you, but it certainly is with me.  I am currently in dialogue with a number of people, I attend a Sunday school class that invites comment, I have children and grandchildren, and I keep falling into this trap.  I don’t listen.  I start talking before I know what the question is.

I will concede that sometimes this is an issue where the person I’m talking to doesn’t want to hear what I have to say.  It’s not always just me.  Sometimes they go on and on and on and on, you get the idea.  You have been there.  You might even be that person.

That does not cancel the basic truth here.  We need to practice listening.  On one side, it gives the other person an awareness that you’re paying attention and that their comments are being taken seriously.  On the other, I can’t be accurate in my answers unless I know what the question is.  Many times it’s not a question.  It’s just a statement.

So?  Pretty simple.  Listen before you speak.