Going PlacesSample

There's a well-known phrase that says, "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." In other words, most people aren't interested in learning much from you until they know that they really matter to you.

This is where we go wrong sometimes in sharing what we believe with our friends. We don't show any interest in learning about them. We don't ask them what they think. We don't show any curiosity about their opinions. We just expect them to listen to us, and then we get offended if they don't agree.

But this isn't how real friends interact. The truth is, you and your friends probably all have a lot to learn from each other. Part of being a good friend is not only feeling safe to share what you believe, but also providing a safe space for others to share what they believe with you. If you really care about your friends, you won't just talk at them. You'll talk to them. And more importantly, you'll listen.

The Bible talks about being "slow to speak and quick to listen." It's easy to be the opposite — to talk first and listen later. But part of being a good friend is learning how important it is to really listen to your friends and try to understand why and how they believe differently than you. You won't just be showing them how much you really care. You might just learn something, too.