I wouldn’t say I’m an expert on listening. Not even close. As a friend, I catch myself interrupting others. As a wife I find myself zoning out while my husband tells me about his monotonous workday, and as a mother I find myself blocking out all noise pertaining to my four dear children.
I like my music loud.
I like the fan on high at night.
I usually fall asleep to the sounds of the tv.
My mind is constantly someplace else and usually on turbo… making mental notes, lists, or thinking about a past conversation and analyzing it to death.
It’s important to me to become a good listener. I admire my relationships that can listen to me and then give sound advice and loving encouragement and I want to reciprocate that same character to others.
Recently when I asked my husband if there was one thing I could work on to make him feel more loved, cherished, and noticed, his reply was “I just wish you wouldn’t zone out so much.”
Since then I have developed what one calls SELF AWARENESS or MINDFULNESS. I recognize where I am lacking and I begin to educate myself on how to get better! My research led me down a rather delightful path that in the end, in my incredibly wandering brain, led to me thinking about Jesus, who, I might add, I feel I can hear perfectly. Almost. We will get to that soon!
So, Google says the word LISTEN means: •give one’s ATTENTION to sound•take NOTICE of and act on what someone says, respond to advice or a request.•make an EFFORT to hear something; be ALERT and ready to hear something.
For real, that definition alone is so deep, ya’ll!
If we just follow these directions in our relationships we should have smooth sailing in the listening department. What if we take it a step further and apply it to our relationship with Jesus?
Raising kiddos, I often have to put Jesus into kid terms that they can understand. Each of my kids has asked me “How do you hear God? How do you know it’s him talking to you? What if I heard wrong?” Children ask these questions and so do adults! My response to my kids is generally something like this:
“Well, God speaks in a small quiet voice. A whisper. (Here I add a little whisper to keep them glued into the conversation and for dramatic effect). He often will whisper to us through our conscience. We learn right from wrong by reading his words that have been written in the Bible… and we make choices based on what we read. Sometimes his voice will be you just feeling really good about something, and other times your stomach will be in knots and you won’t have any peace about something, at all. Other times he will speak something audible. Something so profound that you swear you heard it out loud.”
It’s really not hard. Scroll back up and read those definitions again. Slowly.
Here’s a little story for you: During “The Great Quarantine of 2020” I was feeling really low, depressed, overwhelmed, angry, and just DONE! I found myself with zero purpose and zero reason to get out of bed in the mornings. Being mindful and trying to have self-awareness, I recognized that I was experiencing real feelings and I decided I needed a project. I went to Lowe’s and bought some paint and began to tackle my 6-year-old son’s bedroom.
Knowing I was feeling low- and the cure is Jesus- I turned on my praise and worship tunes and got to work. Somewhere about an hour into my task, God SPOKE. I was alone. Painting. Worshiping. And (cue definitions) giving my “attention to sound & making an effort to hear something.” The most beautiful song began to play. I recognized I’d heard this song many times before. I was humming along, but suddenly the WORDS came alive.
The poetry of the lyrics wrapped their arms around me and I stopped painting and I let my Jesus hold me.
Here are a couple of synonyms of the word LISTEN for you (to study something you have to dig deep! A synonym is basically a word that means the same thing but it’s a different way to say it. Only I’m finding that every word has its own meaning if we dig! : OBSERVE. ATTEND. ACCEPT.
My own thoughts on those first two, when I think OBSERVE I think to look at someone. Make eye contact. Or to notice your surroundings.
To be observant means you notice small things. Body language, an untucked shirt, or the soft smile of the stranger holding the door open for you.
ATTEND to me, is to be present. I’m here with you. Only you. I came here for a reason. Whether it’s a dinner date or church, we are attending! It could be your special chair that you read your bible in or your car on your way to work! You’re there! Be present!
Now the word Accept is an audible word that the Lord has spoken to me in this season and I smiled so big when it came up as a synonym for listening. It means: respond or answer affirmatively. To take or receive something with approval or favor. So while we are “actively giving our attention to sound and making an effort to hear something” we are also accepting and receiving and responding!
Recently my teenage son had the opportunity to ride a jet ski solo. He later told me “I heard God today. Loud and clear. I was working up the courage to do some tricks and I just heard him say ‘STOP’! So I stopped. My heart was pounding. I thought someone had yelled it at me from the shore but there was no one there!”
Ya’ll… it’s not as hard as we think it is to LISTEN and hear God’s voice! And how good is it to know we hear it, it feels good, we’re on the right path and we’re focused on his plan!
“Listen carefully and open your heart. Drink in the wise revelation that I impart. You’ll become winsome and wise when you treasure the beauty of my words. And always be prepared to share them at the appropriate time. For I’m releasing these words to you this day, yes, even to you, so that your living hope will be found in God alone, for he is the only one who is always true. Pay attention to these excellent sayings of three-fold things. For within my words you will discover true and reliable revelation. They will give you serenity so that you can reveal the truth of the word of the one who sends you. “Proverbs 22:17-21 TPT https://www.bible.com/1849/pro.22.17-21.tpt
“For those who listen with open hearts will receive more revelation. But those who don’t listen with open hearts will lose what little they think they have!” Mark 4:25 TPT https://www.bible.com/1849/mrk.4.25.tpt
“Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let his Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life!”James (Jacob) 1:22 TPT https://www.bible.com/1849/jas.1.22.tpt
By Rachael Strickland
