If a person senses that you do not like them, that you do not approve of their existence, then your religion and your political ideas will all seem wrong to them. If they sense that you like them, then they are open to what you have to say.

When I am talking to somebody there are always two conversations going on. The first is on the surface; it is about politics or music or whatever it is our mouths are saying. The other is beneath the surface, on the level of the heart, and my heart is either communicating that I like the person I am talking to or I don’t.

Donald Miller — Blue Like Jazz (pp. 220-221)

I find it interesting how much more I pay attention to someone I like when they are talking. And conversely, if I don’t like someone my mind easily drifts away from the conversation and my attention wanders.

I’ve especially noticed we do this a lot with political and religious conversations. The minute we discover someone’s political or religious beliefs differ from ours, a big part of us instantly dismisses them. When we need our conversational skills to be at their best, that’s when they are desperately lacking.

Today, I will attempt to listen on the level of the heart and we’ll see what materializes.

Have a blessed day.

Peace and Love,

~Travis