I spent the greater part of my professional career as a consultant and trainer. First with other firms, and then for nearly 20 years on my own. I had the pleasure of speaking with thousands of individuals in training programs and consulting engagements. And working with dozens one-on-one as a professional coach. The most common challenge woven throughout was communication. Especially hearing vs. listening. It didn’t matter the professional environment – from manufacturing to higher education – people struggle to listen.
Distractions, disinterest, impatience, or my favorite, planning one’s response are a few of the main reasons people don’t listen. They hear. But they don’t listen. What’s the difference? I used to tell my clients that hearing is passive, and listening is active. In other words, listening is hearing with intent.
Hearing is a sense; unless hearing impaired, we all hear sounds. Listening is something you choose to do. It requires concentration and engagement so that your brain can process the sounds – whether they be natural or spoken. Listening happens when you engage your mind. And I believe it is the key to a deeper relationship with Jesus.
As a Christian, listening infers obedience. In Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Moses is speaking to the rebellious Israelites. Listen is the first word in this ancient prayer, and it sets the tone for the remaining verses in the passage, as well as sheds light on what it means to listen to God: “Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Moses grabs their attention by starting with the Hebrew word for listen – Sama or Shema. This word means to listen, but it’s also connected to the word obey. To listen to God means to engage the heart and not simply the head. It’s to listen to the point of obedience. We sit in church on Sunday and “hear” the message. But how much do you remember on Wednesday? We feel a tug on our heart, or a thought crosses our mind – one that requires us to step out in faith. Do we hear or do we listen? Acknowledging the thought does nothing for the Kingdom of God or for your growth as a child of God. Acting on it – even when it is uncomfortable or frightening – is listening to the Father.
Many years ago, I was in the waiting room at a hospital while my father had an outpatient procedure. When you are stuck in a room for hours, you tend to strike up conversations. Well, at least I do. In speaking with the woman next to me, I learned her husband was in for some heart-related testing and she was obviously concerned. And then I heard it. “Ask her if you can pray for her.” Huh?! I was young in my faith, but I knew who was talking to me. I chose to ignore it. Again, “Ask her if you can pray for her.” Seriously?! Now the stubborn Hungarian in me came out and I began reasoning with the Lord about why this was a stupid idea, I was woefully unqualified, and I wasn’t going to do it. “Ask her if you can pray for her.” Jesus doesn’t give up easily. The weight of the statement was so heavy on my heart, and I knew I was no match for the Lord’s request. I nervously leaned toward her and quietly asked, “May I pray for you and your husband?”
Considering I made this great leap of faith and listened to the Lord, I was expecting her to respond with gratitude and gratefulness. Instead, she simply said, “No that’s okay. I’m fine.” Are you kidding me?! I was now embarrassed and confused. Later that day I realized that the command wasn’t so much for this woman, but for me. God needed me to be obedient and to learn that obedience to Him is central to my faith and making a difference for the Lord. Maybe He used me to plant a seed that day. Maybe not. But it changed me. It was the start of an ongoing conversation with the Holy Spirit prompting me and leading me; one for which I am so very grateful.
I’d like to tell you that since that day, I always listen to God’s promptings. I don’t. I still get embarrassed or self-conscious more than I’d like to admit. This weekend, we were in Virginia at our church away from home. This is a Jesus-loving, on-fire church where everyone is family. We are loved and welcomed every time we attend. During worship, I felt this overwhelming desire to step into the aisle and kneel during worship. Had I been at our home church, I would have done it and not given it a second thought. But I gave it a second, third, fourth thought. So many thoughts that I held off the urge until the song was over. Why? Because I was more worried about what the people in the church might think than listening to my Father who called me to my knees to worship Him. The realization that I was embarrassed to worship the Lord who gave everything for my wretched soul leaves me crying as I write this blog. I understand Peter a little better than I’d like to.
Peter’s denial is told in all the Gospels. From Mark 14:66-72: “And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed.And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again, he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Even a disciple of Christ isn’t immune to fear and embarrassment. And our Lord, in his unfathomable love, doesn’t condemn us. Rather, He uses every failure to grow us and draw us closer to him. To lean on Him. To trust in Him completely. To recognize that the world we live in is temporary. That we aren’t here to rely on ourselves or our human frailty. We are here to Listen! We are here to hear the voice of Jesus. To listen to the whisper of the Holy Spirit. To tune out work, family demands, social media, or the latest Netflix binge when He calls. Convenient or not. Embarrassing or not. Terrifying or not.
How can I choose not to listen to a Savior who loves me so much that even when I am embarrassed to proclaim Him, He loves me? A Savior who holds my heart in his scarred hands and assures me that I am safe? A Savior who pours into me over and over again, never giving up on this stubborn, selfish daughter of God?
My brothers and sisters, may we find courage in the voice of Jesus. May our love for him deafen all earthly noise and distraction. May we find a quiet spot to sit and listen. And then, with our minds and hearts, let us step out in courage.
You can find this week’s accompanying prayer at https://simplyjoy.online/prayers/let-me-listen/
Pingback: Up Close and Personal – Simply J.O.Y.