Today most people are listening to MANY voices throughout their day. In the car, on the job, on the walk, during the workout, while doing chores at home — many have their headphones on / in and are listening to a podcast, and audio book, the latest news, or music. It is a rare thing to be comfortable in the ‘quiet’.
Do you have anytime where you purposely listen to Him, and Him alone, without ANY other thing in your ears?
As one matures hopefully a person begins to understand how important good listening skills are. Do you set a time to just listen to Him? Do you prioritize actually listening to JUST Him? Or does HE have to always talk to you through other voices? There are plenty of examples in life. Like when trying to tell your spouse something and they never listen, but then another says the same thing and your spouse goes… “Wow, that’s SO right! Hun you gotta hear this!” When you think — haven’t I been saying that all along for awhile now? But instead you’ve just learned to just go, “Wow. Yes Hun, that really does make a lot of sense.” There are plenty of examples with children too. You try and try to get through to them, but another comes along and says the same thing you’ve been saying all along, but they act like its the first time they heard it when the other person said it. Maybe … we should actually try to hear things from Him FIRST instead of through someone else?
What’s the thing the Holy Spirit has been telling you… that you’ve been trying to continually ignore?
Why is it the hardest to listen to those closest to us? Is it that our ‘filters’ have been so clogged by hurt and familiarity that we don’t ‘hear’ when they are talking to us? How does one clean one’s own listening filters?
Real listening is rare these days. It demands focus, patience, and discipline. Focus on the words, and body language, and the tone of the voice. Patience to really ‘hear’ what they are trying to communicate, and not just formulate your response WHILE they are still speaking. And discipline to STAY in the moment, and not jump ahead, and keep your mind on the task of hearing and listening well.
Confession time. Am I good at this? I’m still trying to get better at listening and actually “hearing’ someone. There is still much improvement I need in this skill. But just because there is more I can learn in this area doesn’t mean I don’t know what the Holy Spirit is trying to grow me in, or the principles He is trying to teach me. His conviction in me is still swift and fairly harsh in this regard of listening. I MUST stay in the moment and FOCUS, and be patient.
Why don’t your try to turn off those voices at some point in the day and ask Him to just have a conversation with you? Try it and see if you can actually hear Him. Try it in the car. Try it on a walk. Try it when you first get up. Just try it. Make some time to actually listen …to JUST Him …without all the other voices.