listening

I like to think of myself as a good listener.  I' ve tried (over the past few years) to really stop giving my opinion so much...and just listen.  I think I've sort of got it down pat.  And truthfully, it helps me to process what the other person is saying in order to really be the most helpful I can be.  In doing that, I have started to develop a greater sense of what patience really is.  Trust me...not easy.  But I've noticed that careful listening really does bring radical change...and lasting fruit in my actions.  I've even noticed this in my walk with the Lord...
Lately I could totally categorize myself in James 1:23-24 "Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like."  It's like I'm given this impression that I'm growing in the Word, but im just simply growing in knowlege...thus, no real change.  So, I've really been focusing on LISTENING.  Letting the word sink into my hearts; meditating on it; building my life around it so that it will, in turn, become a part of me; defining my identity...and my behavior.
A lot easier said than done...but I love the results :)