I am absolutely the world’s worst at listening, but God is prodding me to work on that skill, so I will share with you what I am learning so far. First, in order to actively listen, you have to really pay attention to what the other person is saying and look at their facial expressions. I have found myself frequently doing other things when someone (especially my husband) thinks that I am listening, and I really am not. I read, fidget, look at texts, check my calendar, etc. I do a lot of other things instead of listening actively and I need to stop that. Second, I need to practice not interrupting. Who knows what the other person might have said if I had not decided to put in my two cents before it was time? I will never know because I interrupted. I think part of that is because as I age, my thoughts are fleeting and I want to say them before they go away permanently. God is reminding me that if it is important enough for me to say, it can wait and He will remind me of it if I forget. The third thing is to respond appropriately. That is much easier to do if you are being an active listener. I have found myself responding to a question that wasn’t even asked because it was what was in my mind to say, regardless of whether it made sense in the conversation. The respectful thing to do is to listen actively, respond appropriately and don’t interrupt. The whole kindness thing that God tells us to practice in the Bible can be applied to listening, too. I am getting better, but I am not there yet. Stop…look…listen. That’s a good thing to remember, not just for crossing the street, but for being an active listener. Stop whatever you are doing. Look at the person talking. And listen…really listen. You might hear something important to you, to the other person and to God.