Listening

When you become a parent your life is immediately thrust into the realm of all sorts of new and arresting noises. I vividly remember the first few days home with our first born and basically waking up every time she whimpered or even stirred. These were new noises and I wasn't exactly sure how I was supposed to respond to them. The regular crying for food and for changing took weeks getting used to.

As my children grow older the noises change in their dynamic but not in their frequency. Instead of crying to be changed or to be held there is now the onslaught of almost constant chatter - What's for supper? Can I go to a friend's house to play? She took the toy from me! Is the moon really made of cheese? It's my turn! Mom and dad, I aced my test today in school! But I don't want to go to bed yet, I'm not tired!

I always wondered how parents could seemingly tune out the chaos of their children when everyone else in the room was obviously affected by it, and now I know. There is a distinct difference between hearing and listening that takes place when the volume starts to get ramped up a notch. I hear all sorts of things around me but I will choose to listen to what I consider most important. This isn't to say that I ignore the words of my children - I hear everything that they have to say. But like most parents, my wife and I have learned which noises and words require immediate attention - that certain cry that says more than just "I didn't get my way" or the plea for help with homework when they are struggling with new math problems. I always hear my children but I constantly have to work to listen to them as well.

And there are times when, as a parent, I blow it. My children will try to tell me something and I just don't listen to what they are saying, choosing instead to hear their words and not their intent. Top it off with those times that I choose to speak first out of my "vast treasure of wisdom" that I have gained over the years and my kids can't get a word in edgewise. Listening is a skill that I have yet to master.

The story of the transfiguration recorded in the gospels (Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36) is one of those moments in time that I would have given anything to be a part of. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John with Him up to a mountain and right before their eyes He becomes transfigured, giving them a glimpse into the glory of God that His flesh had been concealing. Then to top it off, A-listers Moses and Elijah show up and start having a conversation with the glorified Jesus. This was one of those moment where it was probably best to be quiet. What in the world could you add to a conversation like that? I'm not sure what he was thinking, but Peter tried anyways.

Peter tells Jesus that he wished to commemorate the occasion by building a few little tabernacles that they could come back and visit in the future. As the last word rolls off of Peter's tongue he is stopped in his tracks by the very voice of God: "This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him. Listen to Him!"

Listen to Him.

Instead of constantly talking and asking, take some time to be quiet and listen to Jesus, God's beloved Son and delight. Don't just hear what He is saying. We can spend a lifetime in church and hear the word of God proclaimed daily yet never truly listen to the truth that it conveys. Listening requires that we channel our focus on Him and lay aside our own agenda. You can choose to hear whatever it is you think you want to hear from God, but it's only when you stop to listen to Him that you truly see His heart and beauty.