In one of my devotionals (The Uncommon Daily Life Challenge, by Tony Dungy), there is a statement that stuck with me;

“Listen to the voices that have earned the right to be heard.”

I have met so many people who are swayed by the winds of others opinions. Sadly, too often they are swayed by those who have not earned a right to even express an opinion.

I grew up in a number of small towns in Texas. One of the things that you learn that is different in the country than it is in the city, is how to discern opinion from true insight. I had many great teachers who helped me understand, as they put it “my posterior from a hole in the ground.” Nicely put.

There are plenty of people in our lives who believe that they have the answer for us. Those who will pontificate on pretty much any topic put in front of them, especially our lives.

However, have you ever really taken a moment to really consider the statement above? Who has actually earned the right to be heard in your life?

I see many young people swayed by the wrong influences, often because they have not had the right influences in their lives. Many have grown up essentially alone. Absentee parents and schools that must teach to a test score rather than teaching kids what they really need to know in life.

Add to this the glut of information at their fingertips and no one has to actually learn anything anymore. They just Google it. Right, wrong or indifferent.

We are losing our ability to actually learn about a thing.

Many would argue this and say we have access to too much information. However, much of it is either bad or just plain wrong.

No, growing up in small towns in Texas taught me some of the greatest basic life skills. It taught me to weed out the good from the bad, taught me right from wrong and gave me the opportunity to fail from time to time.

Taking this knowledge and using it as a filter through which I put what others tell me has been invaluable. It quickly points to those who both have my best interest in mind and who are willing to go out of their way to provide truly useful instruction.

From this it is easy to generate a short list of those whose opinion you value and who you can go to in times of need. These need to be people you know you will get a straight answer from. People who have, to some extent, been-there-done-that.

It’s easy to think that these always have to be your seniors, but that is not necessarily true. I have met many people younger than me who have very valuable insight into the world and into my situation. I have also met many older than me who I would not trust to make me a sandwich.

I have heard the term “Old soul” and I believe that this is often the hallmark of insight and discernment. I don’t know where or how this old soul comes reside in a person, but I have seen it first-hand. Old souls just know more. They have an understanding of life that is often beyond their years and their experiences. These are the people who just always seem to know the right thing to say, they have an uncanny insight into others’ lives.

Once you determine who has earned the right to listen to, there is a very important step that is often missed. An element to using this wisdom and insight that seems so elemental, so basic you marvel at how others overlook it. This most important step?

You must listen.

God gave you two ears and one mouth so you would listen twice as much as you talk!

People dismiss the wisdom of the ages to get their next question or their next excuse out.

I you have gone to the trouble of actually determining who has earned the right to be heard shut up and listen.