Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. – James 1:19 NLT

If there was a word gauge on you would there be more “outgoing” or more “incoming”? Some folks love to be heard, and love to hear themselves. They are so ready to tell you all about themselves whether you want to know or not. They tell you stories that they have told you 10 times already and do not remember that they told you 9 times yesterday. Most of the time it is all about them. Self-absorbed, self-focused.

Then there are those who love to learn. They are like a sponge, soaking up everything around them seeking to understand and always asking questions when they do finally decide to speak. Hearing is a lost art of communication. It takes much more self control to hear than to blab. Those that are mastering the art of hearing know the things that they know and want to learn what others know. After all when you open your mouth to speak you close off your ears from hearing.

It seems from this verse in James that the more that you listen the less angry you are likely to become….and the less likely you are to say something that you could regret.