A Swiss guy asked two Americans for directions. He asked, “Entschuldigung, koennen Sie Deutsch sprechen?”
The Americans responded with helpless stares.
The man gave it another try. “Excusez-moi, parlez vous Français?”
Still no reply from the Americans.
“Parlare Italiano?” Still, no reply. “Hablan ustedes Espanol?” Still, nothing.
The Swiss guy drove off in frustration. Then one American said to the other, “Maybe we should learn a foreign language.”
His friend responded, “Why? That guy knew four languages, and it didn’t do him any good.”
These two guys made the same mistake a lot of us make. We want to be understood more than we want to understand others. And that is a killer – of marriages, recovery, and life.
Recovery Step: Solomon said, “Fools find no pleasure in understanding, but delight in airing their own opinions” (Proverbs 18:2). Spend less time trying to be understood and more time trying to understand others.
