The Chinese word for listen is “tip” and means to “attend delicately with our ears, eyes, and a focused heart” (Ting-Toomey & Oetzel, 2001, p. 181). When I first read this I had to go back and re-read it. Isn’t this just an awesome definition of what TRULY listening to someone should mean? Many times when we listen, we don’t actually HEAR what the person is saying. When say uh-huh or nod our heads, but we aren’t really focused on what they are saying or what they are trying to convey to us. There are so many hurting people out there; people that we have been called to help. The first step is listening. Asking them questions and hearing their answers. Not only with our ears, but as the above definition states, we need to be focused with our hearts. If someone is trusting you enough to tell you their problems, their doubts, their struggles, the least we can do is to listen attentively. I dare you to not jump in, to not immediately offer your opinion, to not preach, but to truly listen. Listen not only with your ears, but with your heart and mind as well, truly focused on them, how they feel, what they feel. Go ahead, I dare you—-TIP!
