Our first step in leading a complainer through listening is to comfort him, connecting with his heart. Comfort literally means “to call along side.” It comes from the Latin, com meaning “together” and fortis which is translated “strong.” Comfort strengthens together. Comforting a complainer means that we come alongside him and communicate the words, “I […]
Leading the Complainer through Listening: Comfort (Proverbs 16:24; 25:11)
Leading the Complainer through Listening (Philippians 2:14)
Do you frequently encounter a complainer in your life? How does each interaction make you feel? The second difficult person is the direct hitter known as the complainer. A complainer whines for at least four reasons: (1) he fears being misunderstood; (2) he focuses on the negative; (3) he fights to be right, seeing issues […]
Leading the Aggressive through Listening: Give Wise Choices (Proverbs 8:10; 16:16)
Do you ever feel hopeless in your attempts to deal with the strong will of an aggressive person? Solomon offered a secret to leading the aggressive through listening. In order to direct the aggressive toward wisdom, we must offer choices to the aggressive so that he is not robbed of his will: “Choose my instruction […]
Leading the Aggressive Through Listening: Confront Lovingly (Proverbs 25:12; 15:31; 28:23)
How do you confront the aggressive in your life? By text? Through email? Possibly, not at all? We must lovingly confront the aggressive: “Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear” (Proverbs 25:12). Confront literally means “face to face.” Confronting by text, telephone, […]