Listening: there’s more to learn. Isn’t that the truth?!
Chris Gerardis from Mary Andrews College led an elective on Listening at our Ministry Conference in July. She also gave her very powerful testimony of God’s work throughout her life.
I found the ‘Empathy Blockers’ challenging:
- Thinking we have all the answers
- Arguing logically e.g. someone shares that they feel lonely and your response is “There’s no need to feel lonely. God is with you, you are now a member of the church and they are your new family.”
- Judging is where we condemn a person based on our perceptions of how things should be. People who judge often generalise.
- Diagnosing is thinking that you know what is going on for a person without taking the time to listen to them
- Reassuring: ‘You’ll be all right.’ ‘It will be OK, you’ll see.’
- Topping can appear to be helpful. E.g. “I worked for a boss that was horrible as well so I know exactly what you are going through. My boss used to make hurtful comments because I was a Christian.”
You can also download this resource from our website here.
