OPINIONS AND EARS

Sometimes an ear is better than an opinion.  

OPINIONS

I have an opinion on just about anything, just ask my wife!  And, most of the time I am right (yeah, do you believe that) at least in my own mind, just like the rest of you.  But you know sometimes it is better to give someone your EAR instead of your OPINION.  Opinions are colored with lots of different variables.  We can either develop and nurture opinions over an extended period of time OR we can draw conclusions very quickly without much information.  Which way is the right way to develop an opinion?  Well, both approaches might be right based on the individual circumstances of the situations we are dealing with at any given time.  But, for the most part, opinions I think should be formed with more careful consideration than we are accustomed to in the hurry up world that we live in today.  

EARS

Sometimes we are so busy giving people an EAR FULL, we fail to use our own ears.  I certainly have been guilty of passing out the ear full.  Generally speaking, I try and be, feel and live a very optimistic life and that creates a lot of energy that seems to come bubbling out of my mouth.  And while generally, I hope and intend for that to be a good thing, maybe sometimes I should work more on holstering my weapon, my words.  Don't get me wrong, my intentions are well intended but sometimes those intentions can fall on "deaf ears" because I failed to use "my ears" for what they were intended.  When I have done corporate training programs in the past, I often quoted the statement, "the good Lord gave us two ears and one mouth and we should use them in that proportion".  I often have to remind myself to also, "practice what you preach".   

OPINIONS, EARS, EYES or HEART....WHICH IS RIGHT?

It is not always easy to know what people need, but maybe we need to use all of the resources the good Lord gave us.  If we use our eyes to see and our ears and hearts to listen, we will probably give our opinion on situations a little bit less.  And, in the end, if we are trying to help someone maybe they don't need our opinion but they do need us to see them with our eyes and understand them with our ears THROUGH our heart.  Try and make a difference in the life of someone else this week, especially when they least expect it.  And give the encouragement they need to deal with the ups and downs they are riding on this roller coaster of life.