...I hear what you're saying

I promised myself that this year I would really try to listen to phrases that shouted out to me.

I know that God uses all kinds of channels to make His voice heard in our lives and for me that particularly resonates within dialogue and images. So “I hear what you’re saying” is a common phrase that I heard today and as I read the words I wondered whether I and others do really hear what others say?

Mat 13:12-17 (NIV)

"You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become callused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."

Beyond hearing is understanding and applying empathy as required. After all, information that we are told, that is shared with us, is to be acted upon in some way or form. Otherwise why would others share it with us?

To put ourselves in another’s place and to hear and absorb what is shared can be challenging. We each have our own agendas and to separate out our own desires from what others share with us can be difficult. Difficult on many levels – from my own perspective I know that I truly feel I want the best for others, I truly want God’s mandate and yet I still want, wish, pray that this will be the same as my own wishes and mandate. So letting go of my own desires to fulfil another’s can be challenging.

It has caused me to fall asleep this week in prayer shedding involuntary tears, Why? What? How? I don’t know.

So all of this makes me wonder how much we really hear what others are saying to us.

Sometimes words are just one of the ways we are able to express emotions. In fact, often this is the method we use to say one thing whilst meaning another. Words are often seen as a smokescreen. On their own…without other emotions, words can be deceptive if required. We can easily say one thing and mean another, can’t we?

From my perspective, this is completely true unless the connection with the ‘other’ extends beyond mere friendship, into a deeper and more meaningful interactive relationship. But the ‘other’ can still choose to misunderstand, misinterpret or ignore what is being said. So how far does the other go to reinforce the message? Understanding the line from persistence to aggravation is key. And this varies from person to person, situation to situation and is time dependant.

So hearing is more about the act of listening….it needs the recipient to understand and empathise at a deeper and more spiritual level.  Lord I pray you reinforce this skill in me. Amen