Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Proverbs 18
18:2 "A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions." This verse is hard to read because it can be so convicting! Sometimes I think that it would be great if everyone in this world would think like me, that way everyone would understand me and I didn't have to practice understanding. We all like to air our own opinions, it is part of our nature. I am pretty certain that most of you, like me, fail sometimes at truly getting outside of ourselves and worry about understanding others. So, what are some practical ways of getting outside of ourselves and truly trying to understand others?
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2 comments:
I always read the Proverb before I read the original post and that exact verse along with 12 and 3 were the ones that really stuck out to me. There are times where I find it hard to truly understand someone. Most of the time that happens I say to myself "well I did this and avoided it." I think that is the reason why I don't understand others feelings at times. And that is airing my own opinion pretty much. I think a good way of trying to understand others is to look at it from a different perspective--as if "what if I didn't do that, and I ended up just like them?" Put yourself in their shoes and try to see yourself in their position. Because its true, you could have been where others have been. And the only way to truly understand other people is to put yourself in their situation.
wow. this proverbs is my favorite so far. I can relate to a lot of the verses in it. It is especially hard for me to listen to what others have to say. I've learned to let others speak and finish their thoughts before changing the subject or interrupting them. Sometimes it's hard to not talk about yourself the whole time. But, I've learned that people want you to ask them about theirselves and not talk about yourself the whole time. I've asked God for help with putting others first and letting others talk too. Verses that stuck out to me the most were 1, 6, 7, 10, 16, 19, 21, 24. Verse 19 is one that applied to me in my life. "An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars."
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