My dream job was teaching four and five-year-olds. Because young children cannot always say what they mean, an important lesson I learned was to look for the message behind the words, listen to hear what is really being said, and learn how to respond with empathy and understanding.

It's been said that most people "listen to respond before listening to understand." We are all guilty of this. Today more than ever, the importance of these words from James 1:19 ring true. To listen with a willingness to understand the perspectives of others, and to respond with empathy and patience rather than react with defensiveness and anger is to model the grace God Himself shows to us. It's not easy, but "nothing worth doing is easy."