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Key Bible Verse: From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive (Proverbs 16:23). Bonus Reading: Proverbs 10:19–21, 32–33

7-year-old Taylor stomps into the house and informs his dad, "I'm not playing with Jerry anymore; he's so selfish." Instead of pointing out Tay-lor's own self-centeredness, Dad replies, "You're not going back out with Jerry because he only thinks of himself."

Taylor says, "Right. I wanted to play cars, and he wants to play that dumb game he got for his birthday."

Stuffing the compulsion to evaluate the game, Dad responds, "You don't have a good opinion of Jerry's new game, so you'd rather play what you want to play."

Taylor: "Yes. He never wants to do what I want."

Dad: "You think Jerry always plays only games he likes."

Taylor: "Well, not always, Dad. Sometimes he does what I like to do."

Dad: "You mean Jerry doesn't always insist that you play what he wants to."

Taylor: "Yes, I guess he does what I want to do once in a while."

Dad: "So, Jerry doesn't always only play what he wants to?"

Taylor: "No, Dad. He just wants to play his game now. I guess I could do it with him for a while even though I think it's dumb. See you later, Dad. I'm going out to play with Jerry."

—Charles Sell in HomeLife

My Response: I'll practice restating the message I hear to show my own understanding and to aid their reasoning.

Thought to Apply: One of the best ways to persuade others is by listening to them. —Dean Rusk (U.S. secretary of state under presidents Kennedy and Johnson)

Adapted from HomeLife (6/02, 12/01, 11/02) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, help me to honor You in the way I communicate—both on the giving and receiving ends.

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