We live and work in an age where we aren’t really interested in hearing the whole story. All we want are the headlines, the tidbits and the soundbites that we can weave together to reinforce our position or reflect the point of view that we support. Few people, and fewer with each passing day it seems, have the patience and discipline to listen to the whole story and sift through to the truth or at least the two sides that every story contains. Recent current events of hasty government employment decisions that were not based on the full set of facts but on the soundbites only reinforce the culture we now live. This carries into the workplace where we are each day. People send short emails, text messages and blog posts that pick out words and statements that are not on the surface untrue but which are not the whole story. The burden of proving the truth falls more on the reader or the listener today than where it should on the creator or the speaker of the purported facts. Whenever we experience the shortcuts taken we certainly can expect more work and a heightened risk to the feelings of others to be hurt or relationships damaged. We are given very clear direction on not being ones who don’t have our facts all together or not listening for the whole and true story before speaking and expressing our point of view. We read in Proverbs 18:13; “Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.” There is a difference in the respect level and the approachability of the person who is willing to listen and gather all the facts before responding or speaking. As you reflect on this, where do you find yourself; one who gets to the bottom before rising, or one who reacts to just the surface? I would suggest that there is more to what we need to be who we should be than just tidbits and soundbites.

Reference: Proverbs 18:13 (New Living Testament)