Third
Day in Lent
Friday,
February 19, 2021
Practicing Listening
by
Scott Stoner
Practice
makes progress, not perfection. —Unknown
I have been taking
private Spanish lessons for the last two years. My teacher lives in Cuernavaca,
Mexico, and we talk via Skype for one hour every week. There are two things
that I have discovered from my experience of learning to speak Spanish that I
would like to apply to our focus this Lent on listening.
First, I find that I am much better at speaking Spanish
than listening to someone else speak it. Speaking is easier for me because I
know what it is I am trying to say. Listening is more difficult because I have
to intentionally focus all my attention on understanding what my teacher is
saying to me. I find that my mind wanders more easily when I am listening to
something I don’t fully understand than when I am formulating my own sentences,
and so I must discipline myself to focus.
Second, my teacher
always reminds me that if I genuinely want to improve both my speaking and
listening, I have to practice, practice, and practice. We only become more
proficient at something by practicing it, not by merely wishing to be more
proficient.
The parallels here to our focus this Lent are clear. For
many people, speaking seems to come more naturally than listening. Listening
usually requires more intentional commitment and effort. If we want to enhance
our ability to listen, we will need to practice, practice, and practice.
Making
It Personal: Do you find that, in general, listening is
more difficult than speaking for you? What helps you to focus as you listen to
someone else? Are you ready to make a commitment this Lent to practice
listening?
Living
Well Through Lent 2021
Copyright
©2021 Scott Stoner. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment