I was curious about how many of us really listen. So, I checked the research. It is pretty shocking: 25% of us listen. Apparently, the rest of us just talk.

This means, if you are out to dinner with another couple, three of you want to talk and only one of you is really listening. If you are working on a project with 8 co-workers, 6 of you are talking and only 2 are listening. It's a miracle we get any work done at all, friends. If you are married ... well, God help you.

As I lead discussion groups of various kinds, my primary plea to everyone involved is to practice being a really good listener to those around them. I offer suggestions of what this could look like. I cajole, I humor, I state my case clearly. I even carry around a little bell which I threaten to ring if I see someone talking too much. Why do I put so much emphasis on listening? I have led enough groups in my life to know that one great group can be ruined by one or two people who will not stop talking.

All I can say is this: Thank God for the 25% who listen.

And, can you imagine how much better life would be for all of us if the remaining 75% decided to listen even just a little bit more than they talk?

Think about yourself for just a moment:

• Where do you tend to fall on the listening/talking spectrum?

• If you are unsure, ask a friend. Urge them to be honest with you.

• If you are always the talker, what might it look like for you to choose to work to become a listener?

• If you are always the listener, bless you. You are a gift to this world. Make sure you find someone - just one person - who will listen to you, too. We all need to be heard.

Listening is one of the greatest forms of love.

This world could use a lot more love. We can make the world more loving simply by closing our mouths and opening our ears.

Photo by kyle smith on Unsplash