HOW WELL DO YOU LISTEN?

The moving van stopped at the one story ranch house. It had been a long drive to Arkansas and the reality of everything was just sinking in. Part of moving was fun and there was always an adventure along the way but the fact was that moving took a lot of work and involved plenty of changes. We had moved with our faithful companion Peanut, a mixed terrier. He was ten years when we moved so he had been a part of our family for quite some time.

Everyone had to make adjustments and we no longer had a fenced yard. Peanut was either on a leash or tied up in the front yard so that he could not wander away. It wasn’t long until I noticed a problem. More than one dog ran through the neighborhood and no one seemed to care. Leash laws were in effect but no one ever enforced them. On two different occasions our mutt was attacked by the German shepherd next door. The first incident found our dog at the mercy of the German shepherd and the teeth marks had torn into the skin and required stitches. The second time the same dog attacked our mutt and almost put puncture wounds through his abdomen. The problems with dogs had gotten out of hand and I was determined to watch the yard even more closely.

My next brush with dogs in the area happened when I observed one of our neighbors walking down our street. Her two dogs were running ahead of her and they roamed freely wherever they wanted to. My yard was no exception. It was just another area to them, and the owner did nothing to keep them walking with her. After I had observed this more than once, I decided to ask politely if she would keep her dogs on a leash. The last thing I wanted was another dog attacking my terrier.

Walking out to the street, I asked as politely as I could if she would please keep her dogs on a leash. I explained that my dog had already been attacked and I wanted to avoid any further problems. With all the frustration and anger that she could muster, she looked at me and boldly stated, “How dare you tell me that I can’t walk down this street! I’ll walk down any street that I please.” And with an uplifted chin and plenty of arrogance the neighbor walked away. She avoided our street for a while but her dogs were allowed to roam through the neighborhood.

What I noticed most was the fact that when she was asked to keep her dogs on a leash, the neighbor heard something entirely different. At no point did I ever tell her she couldn’t walk down the street. I wanted a little courtesy and consideration and yet I got much more than I bargained for. I had an angry neighbor who was upset for no obvious reason other than that she didn’t want to be held accountable for her actions.

Throughout life we meet all kinds of people. The thing I remember most about this experience was that this neighbor heard only what she wanted to hear. We all need to listen and hear what others are saying. “Listen carefully to me” are four words hidden within Isaiah 55:2. It is a skill that God wants us to develop. In John 8:43 we read “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word”.

God speaks to us and yet we fail to listen to His voice and avoid getting into His word where we get guidance. Hebrews 4:11 illustrates that we can “become dull of hearing”. And Isaiah 65:12 reminds us that “When I called you did not answer; when I spoke you did not hear”. In our own lives we are often too busy to connect with others. We tune out the real conversations we have with others because we are too preoccupied. Not only do we ignore others in the world around us; we neglect to listen to God’s call and become hard of hearing his advice. Evaluate your own life and see if you are truly hearing God. If not, make a choice to listen, really listen to His voice and His word.