A Little More Teachable

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” James 1:19

Have you ever known someone who knows everything? I’m not talking about a wise person who has gained a vast amount of knowledge concerning all things in the universe (because frankly, I don’t think that person exists). I’m talking about that uncle, brother, cousin, or co-worker of yours who you can’t tell anything because they seem to know it all. Or at least they think they know it all. 

Ironically, the person who doesn’t listen (and seems to know it all) is the one who remains unteachable. James teaches we must be quick to listen. I’m sure you’ve heard your mom, grandma or maybe Sunday school teacher say, “God gave us two ears and one one mouth because we need to listen more than we need to speak.” Turns out, Grandma was right. When we are quick to listen and slow to speak, our hearts remain teachable. Sometimes we don’t listen when someone is speaking because we are busy planning what we are going to say. 

James encourages us to not only listen but also to be slow about getting angry. I have found that when someone is angry (even if that someone is me) they really don’t hear what the other person is saying. Anger can not only lead to sin, it can obstruct our ability to listen. 

When you feel yourself getting angry while someone is speaking, that might be a good time to practice your listening skills. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry and you will find that you might just become a little more teachable.