Lynne M. Baab
Because God values caring and supportive relationships, we know God is eager to help us grow in our ability to show love in conversations. And because God longs for our companionship, we can expect that when we ask for help in this area, God will nurture our ability to listen in prayer.
Interpersonal communication experts note that many conversation skills can be learned. This is good news! All of us can improve as conversationalists. In order to learn and improve, we must engage in honest assessment of our current patterns of listening and talking. We must desire to change and to work on specific skills.
The suggestions below can help with self-assessment of conversational patterns as well as guide goals for growth. You are invited to enter into this exercise nurturing an attitude of non-judgment—both for yourself and for those who are your conversation partners.
1. Pick one of the four Gospels and read several conversations that Jesus had with others. Observe the patterns in Jesus’ interactions. In what ways does he affirm or address what his conversation partners say? In what ways does he challenge them? What do you see about Jesus’ conversations with the One he calls Father? What might you learn from Jesus’ conversation style? Write or draw a prayer reflecting on Jesus’ conversation style and what you hope to learn from his model.
2. Daniel Wolpert writes that a “rich, lively conversation encompasses times of listening and times of responding.”* For a couple of days, watch your pattern of listening and responding in conversations. Do you tend to be a quiet listener? Do you have difficulty talking about what matters to you? Or do you tend to talk more than your share in conversations? Write or draw a prayer describing what you have observed and asking God to help you grow into a “rich, lively” conversationalist.
3. Daniel Wolpert also writes that a good conversation has “times of speech and times of silence.”* Discomfort with silence is very common, both in conversations with people and in prayer. Feelings of awkwardness and even fear when silence falls can have many causes. For a couple of days, allow silence to fall in your conversations, and notice how you feel. See if you can identify some patterns in your feelings about silence, and then write or draw a prayer about those feelings and patterns.
4. In a conversation, when we are no longer willing to listen, we sometimes disengage the conversation by:
Watch your conversation patterns for a few days. Which of these “disconnecting” strategies do you use the most often? What helps you avoid those patterns? Write or draw a prayer asking for God’s help to stay engaged in conversations in those times when listening is important.
When you find it hard to listen, try one these strategies to stay engaged with others:
* Creating a Life with God: The Call of Ancient Prayer Practices by Daniel Wolpert.
Lynne M. Baab is the author of numerous books on Christian spiritual practices. She is a Presbyterian minister and lecturer in pastoral theology currently living in New Zealand. Visit her website and blog at lynnebaab.com.
Adapted from Alive Now, January/February 2017. Copyright © 2016 by The Upper Room. Used with permission.
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