Hearing and Listening

Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more. (1 Thessalonians 4:8-10 ESV). Someone has said, “The one who really listens is the one who understands. And there's great value in understanding.” Often we hear people, but are we really listening? An incident in the life of President Franklin D. Roosevelt provides some interesting insight about listening. The incident illustrates how we often fail to really listen to what others say and do. President Roosevelt got tired of smiling that big smile and saying the usual things at all those White House receptions. So one evening he decided to find out whether anybody was paying attention to what he was saying. As each person came up to him with an extended hand, he flashed that big smile and said, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." People would automatically respond with comments such as "How lovely!" or "Just continue with your great work!" Nobody focused on the real meaning of President Roosevelt's words. In fact, when one foreign diplomat approached the President, Roosevelt said, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." Rather than expressing surprise, the diplomat simply responded, "I'm sure she had it coming to her." Most of us have relatives, friends and co-workers whom we care about. However, we fail to demonstrate our care by listening to them. Instead, we ask people how they are doing, exchange brief remarks, and then do our own thing. As Mature Living notes, "Talking to yourself isn't always a sign of old age. In this day and time it may be the only way to be sure someone is listening." In short, we fail to really listen. We don't focus on other people and their needs, so we don't understand them. The result: hurt feelings, painful conflicts, and broken relationships. Another result of not listening is that we miss important truths about life. Isaac Newton, one of history's most distinguished scientists, reflected back on his life and said, "I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me." Newton's words contain a lot of meaning for our lives. There is a great ocean of truth out there for each of us. Our Creator wants to reveal it, but we have to listen in order to gain His understanding. Are you listening? So for new understanding, shift your focus away from yourself. Make an effort to really listen to other people. Your relationships with them will improve significantly if you do. Also make an effort to really listen to God.