Sounding Board
Theme of the Week: Two-Way Street
Charles Sell
Thursday, July 10, 2003
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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.
Copyright © 2003 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.
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Lord, help me to honor You in the way I communicate—both on the giving and receiving ends.
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