How many times have you found yourself listening to someone talk on and on about a subject for which you had absolutely no interest? Did the person sense your lack of interest or did they find a receptive spirit that encouraged them in their sharing?
When one boy we had helped was still living with us as a working adult he would go into great detail about his work activities. We did not know his work acquaintances nor did we have any particular interest in learning about how he mixed the products to produce tortilla flour. However, we had to "listen with interest" anyway as the whole subject was of great importance to him. Frequently I have had students who were interested in paintball, video games, and other topics that are purely boring for me. But I tried to "listen with interest" as they shared every detail.
This is all part of the biblical admonition in Romans 12 to "consider others better than ourselves." It is not easy because we are usually just chomping at the bit to unload all kinds of details about things we are interested in even though our hearers have no desire to hear about them. The same chapter in Romans also tells us "not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think." Showing interest in the conversations of others will bring a measure of grace to their lives. Perhaps no one else is available to show some attention to their pursuits. Even though it is sometimes difficult, let's discipline ourselves to be good listeners.
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