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I received Learning to Listen compliments of New Growth Press in exchange for my honest review.
Learning to Listen is the debut title by author and biblical counselor Joseph Hussung. Although the target audience of this book is biblical counselors, I believe that Learning to Listen is a necessary read for all Christians. Hussung begins the book by informing readers, “You can’t love without listening,” (pg. 1). He posits, “Without being able to listen well, you will never be able to love well,” (pg 1). The book informs readers that the ability to love well essentially comes from understanding how God perfectly listens to His children. Because we’ve been reconciled to Him in Christ, He listens and understands our pain and suffering.
Because God loves us and listens to us well, we ought to show His love to others by doing the same. According to Hussung, this doesn’t look like listening to respond, but listening to understand. I appreciated how he articulated empathizing with counselees as part of the listening process.
Empathy seems to be receiving an unnecessary bad rap these days, but Hussung helps readers see how listening with an empathetic ear positions them to show the love of Jesus. On page 41, he wrote, “Empathy shows desire to understand others, by listening to their stories and reacting patiently and gently to those stories. Empathy is the heart disposition from which we can listen well, the trait to demonstrate God’s compassion.”
Learning to Listen is a brief book, coming in at 91 pages, including its conclusion. It is a quick and incredibly helpful read, and I hope it is one all Christians go through at some point. If you desire to grow in loving people well by listening well, I highly recommend reading Learning to Listen.
