A Servant's Heart: Just Listen

If you listen well, people generally will tell you who they are before you get involved in a relationship and (courtship if its for marriage). But more times than not when they begin to warn us of their weaknesses and what to expect, we jump in with our motivational,"Oh No, that can`t be true, (s)he still has potential" thoughts and encourage them to move forward with us. We need to learn the priceless art of listening to people without interrupting them. It will save us.

If we just listen, you save yourself years of tears and secret disappointments and many negative experiences. Rather than using your optimist and persuasive style to coerce them into accepting your goals and objectives, you need to know that they cannot become something just because you believe they can. They cannot run off off your fuel. They must posses their own faith for the many challenges that are always along the way to accomplishment. It is a bad sign if you have to jump-start them every day.

Without your awareness of this problem, these high maintenance relationships can wear you and exhaust your strength for years. Whether in private professional relationships, if you have to keep motivating to get started, you will have to motivate to maintain. If you listen, you can then decide whether it`s worth the effort to take on the relationships in the first place.