Are You Listening?

 Are you listening to me?  Did you hear what I just said?  You are on another planet and did not hear a word I said!

Listening is more than just hearing.  It is paying attention with your ears, eyes, and mind!  Eyes?  Yes, your eyes.  Did your schoolteacher surprise you with…”Pay attention!”  Was your teacher asking you merely to listen, or was the command meant to cause you to focus your ears, eyes and mind on classroom teaching?

The Bible contains over 100 verses covering listening.  We listen to parents, friends, spouses and omit the most important source…God.  Have you allowed God to speak to you recently?  Are you listening?

James, the brother of Jesus, gave us a gem of God’s truth.  Let’s read it together.

 

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! James 1:22

 

As an ADHD child, much of my life was spent listening to adults chasten me for not listening.  My mind always seemed to be away from the needs at hand and never in the present.  I wanted to listen to whomever was speaking, but so many other things clamored for my attention.  There was always too much going on for me to focus on one activity.

 

In the Walt Disney movie, Moana, our heroine (Moana) had a calling on her life for an important mission.  Her understanding of the mission was full of gaps.  She wanted to fulfill her calling but really had no idea how to begin.  Grandma, however had the knowledge and understanding of Moana’s calling, and in her years of wisdom, waited until Moana was ready to listen…ready to receive “Grandma wisdom.”

Our scene opens on the beach.  Grandma is humming and swaying to her inward music.  Moana is furious and complaining about her life.  This short conversation ensues:


Moana - Is there something you want to tell me?
Grandma- Is There something you want to hear?

 

“Is there something you want to hear?”  Hearing this exchange for the first time caused me to pause the movie.  Is there something I want to hear?  Have I missed something in my life that I need to hear?

I almost laughed!  These wise words came from a cartoon, yet they reached my soul.  I almost fell off the sofa with the realization…I listen every day, yet how much do I really hear?  I mean…Really hear?

 

James 1:22 says…”Listen…don’t let the words go in one ear and out the other.”  He continues, “Act on what you hear!”

- Is there something you want to tell me?

 

- Is There something you want to hear?

 

Are you listening?

Comments

Post a Comment

Feel free to comment.

Popular posts from this blog

The One In Charge

I have a problem.   Can you help me? The item that I recently purchased is not working correctly.   Please help me. If you can’t help, can you call the person in charge?   It’s frustrating when something doesn’t perform as the instructions have led you to believe it should!   Have you experienced this?   Hard-earned money is spent, time wasted with unreadable instructions and finally, the object just doesn’t work.   You need the maker, the creator, or perhaps, the person in charge.   The men were moving with purpose.   They heard that someone was nearby who might possibly be able to solve a problem.   The Ten, as they were known, had done their homework.   The research was flawless and pointed to one man, one expert who could help.   He was the one who could give the answer to an impossible problem.   The Ten were lepers.   Outcasts!   They had no one on their side.   No one cared!   They were on their own, but Jesus had helped others, solved their unsolvable issues.  
Read more

Walking On Water

(If You Want To Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of The Boat) Peter, one of the twelve disciples, is remembered as a hot-headed individual, a bit impulsive, and rather single-minded.  Parents like to cite his actions to their young ones on how not to act around other people.  However, Peter is known as the only one who got out of the boat when Jesus called to him during a vicious storm. Shortly before dawn, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.   When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”  “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”    “Come,” he said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. Matthew 14:25-29 (NIV) We read this episode in the life of Jesus, Peter, and the rest of the disciples and think how wonderful it must have been.
Read more

Thirsty – Lent Day 4

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:2 Thirsty. I am so thirsty. I need something to drink…something to satisfy this dying thirst. What can satisfy my thirst? Water! Perhaps Coke or even tea? Maybe, but when one is thirsty,…really thirsty, nothing beats a cup of cold water. Have you experienced a genuine thirst for God? Do you desire God? Do you need Him just as a desert dweller needs water? Why are you waiting? God is watching and ready, we need only approach Him, and bring our thirst to Him. He alone can satisfy. “Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink.” The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Don’t settle your thirst for that which will not satisfy. Only God can quench your thirst for Him. Lent is a time of contemplation. As you dwell on God’s love for you through Jesus’ act of forgiveness, don’t let thirst drive you away from God’s love. Come to Him. Allow Him to satisfy your thirst. My
Read more