A preacher acquaintance of mine was holding a revival. He told the people that if they would bring a friend who had not yet heard him, they would receive a nice gift. The next night, a little boy marched up to him with his friend to receive his much awaited prize. Upon seeing the little guest, the minister commented that he had noticed him there the previous night, therefore disqualifying him, since he had already heard him. The little boy would not be outdone, and said, “Oh, that’s OK preacher; he heard you, but he wasn’t listening to a thing you said!”
How true this is of us, not only with our Lord, but with one another. We hear, but few of us listen. To me, hearing is the information side, but listening is the assimilation part. Listening takes effort, concentration, along with concern. If what we hear is not absorbed, becoming a part of us, then, as Jesus said, it will be “cast out into the draught.” Like young Joshua of old, we hear the sound, but we can’t discern.
We are so interested in what we have to say, it’s hard for us to listen to others attentively. This is derived from a superior attitude. Talkers are not learners; listeners are. I guess this accounts for all the ignorance in the world today. There are a lot of lonely, hurting people who long for someone to listen to them. God help us to not just hear them, but to listen.
“Swift to hear, slow to speak.” So says the Scriptures.
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