Meeting People Where They Are

D&C 1:24 hits me because it reminds me that God does not make communication harder than it needs to be. He speaks to us in a way we can actually understand, in our own language, with our own experiences, and in the kinds of moments that will land for us. To me, that is not just a spiritual idea, it is a communication principle. If the goal is understanding, then the communicator carries the responsibility to meet people where they are, not where the communicator wishes they were. That means I cannot talk to everyone the same way and assume it will work. A person who is new to something needs clarity and patience, not jargon and shortcuts. A person who is stressed needs calm and simplicity, not a flood of information. A person who is skeptical needs proof and honesty, not hype. When I apply this to my own communication, it pushes me to slow down and think about who I am speaking to, what they already know, what they care about, and what might confuse them. I think God modeling this kind of communication is a reminder that good communication is not about sounding smart, it is about being understood and helping someone take a step forward.