Friday, April 22, 2011
Really Listening…? You’ve been there; you know exactly what I’m talking about. You are having a conversation with someone, and you very much want them to hear everything you are saying. You’ve just finished a 10 minute explanation of some really important event, and you’re out of breath and tired of talking. You glance at them to see what their reaction is and there it is: a blank look. They weren’t listening, though they were pretending to. Is that frustrating?
I was notorious for this as a child. I was always so busy – running everywhere I went (I have a few scars to prove it) – that when someone would stop me to tell me something important, my mind would often be somewhere else already. I can remember my parents telling me things that I really needed to hear, and having to say, “Blake, listen. You need to remember this. You need to really listen.”
Sometimes information is very valuable for us to hear. There are times in life when listening isn’t optional – it’s necessary. For example, the other day on my school bus I gave my students a quick spill that afternoon about keeping the noise down and being ready to listen, should the Transportation Office come over the radio and inform us of extreme weather situations. Should they tell us of dangerous conditions like a tornado warning we would need to listen, hear, and take action in order to be safe.
From the very first day of man’s existence in the Garden of Eden, God has spoken to us. He did it in person with Adam and Eve then. He spoke through prophets and visions throughout the Old Testament. He spoke through the person of Jesus Christ in the Gospels. He spoke through the Holy Spirit in the New Testament era and today. Regardless of His medium used to speak, one universal truth is always evident: we must listen in order to benefit from His words.
So today, are you listening? No, I mean are you REALLY listening? If you are so busy with the things and cares of life that you are only casually glancing at Him from time to time, you aren’t listening. I mean, seriously, are you listening to the voice of God? He speaks through His Word and by His Spirit. If you don’t have time for the first, you won’t hear much from the second.
So join me today is spending a little more time than usual listening – both to Him and to the cries of a lost and broken world around us. The more we hear, the more we can do. And the more we can do, the more lives can be restored and saved. And the more lives can be restored and saved, the more feet will be pitter pattering on the golden streets of heaven someday. Are you listening?
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
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