19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

We could save a lot of trouble by remembering this short verse.  Remember he’s talking to Christians here, to fellow believers, not to unbelievers.  Sometimes we need to be reminded not to be quick to anger.

First, we need to be quick to hear.  Are we really listening to a person or are we just waiting our turn to talk?  Often we’ll just hear the first few words of what someone says, form our opinion and then just be waiting for our turn to talk while they’re finishing what they’re saying.  That is not listening.  We should be ready to hear everything the other person has to say and then be slow to speak.

Don’t be hasty in responding to what people say.  And don’t be hasty in becoming angry about what someone says.  Think it through and listen to your heart.  Our first reaction may not be how God wants us to respond.  If we respond how He wants us to we will bring life to the situation.

Confession:

I will be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.  I will listen to people and listen to God to hear how He wants me to respond.  I will not jump to conclusions or form an opinion before hearing the entire matter.