Today, I’d like to share with you another thing I’ve learned when facing struggles and that is this:
Be careful about making assumptions about those going through struggles.
I know I’ve been guilty of this myself towards others going through struggles and I’ve also been targeted by people who have made assumptions about me as I go through struggles.
Needless to say, experiencing this can be quite painful.
As humans, we all have the tendency to create stories, or narratives, to explain why things are happening.
While this can be natural, this tendency can be counter-productive and even harmful if we’re not aware of this tendency in our interactions with others, particular those we know going through a struggle or crisis.
Why?
Because we can very easily misunderstand people if we don’t take time to listen to them.
So, what if we all took time to listen more to people rather than automatically making assumptions about what’s happening when they are going through hard times?
I’ve heard it said that God gave us two ears to listen and one mouth to speak, perhaps as a tangible way for us as humans to remember to listen more than we speak.
James 1:19 says:
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…”
In this context, James is reminding Christians in the 1st century AD on how to conduct themselves when living life and facing trials, but I believe this can be helpful for those of us today as we face struggles and know those who are facing struggles.
In conclusion,
When you face struggles, are people around you quick to make assumptions about you or seek to “fix” you?
And how are you at resisting the urge to make assumptions when a family member, friend, neighbor, or acquaintance is going through struggles?
Who can you send this article to as a way to encourage them?
Let’s thrive and be quick to listen & slow to assume!
