An elderly gentleman named Frank is having a regular checkup at Dr. Jones’ office.
At the end of the exam the doctor says, “Everything looks OK. Do you have any questions or other concerns?”
Frank replies, “Well, Doc, there is one other thing. My wife Beulah is hard of hearing and I’m having trouble talking her into going to get it checked. Any ideas how to convince her?”
Dr. Jones suggests, “Try this. When you get home and get in the door, say something to her while her back is turned. If she doesn’t hear you, get closer and try again. Keep doing this until you figure out how close you have to be before she can hear something. This should help her to realize that she has a problem.”
Frank gets home and Beulah is facing the kitchen sink doing dishes. So, Frank says, “What’s for supper, honey?” … No response …
Frank moves halfway to the kitchen and repeats, “What’s for supper, honey?” … Still no response …
So, Frank gets right behind her and rather firmly repeats, “What’s for supper, honey?”
Beulah wheels around, hands on her hips, gives him a glare, and says, “For the third time, chicken!!!”
Oops …
By the way, not all hearing is with the ears. Many times in the Scripture, the idea of hearing has to do with whether what was said not only got into someone’s ears, but went further … into the heart and mind. Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:15) Obviously he meant both to hear and to understand!
By the way, a similar phrase … “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” … appears seven times in Revelation … once at the end of each of the letters to the seven churches. There are church folks who hear but don’t hear.
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus calls a person “good soil” if they are able to hear the word, understand, and act. “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” (Luke 8:15)
Sometimes things that are said to us “go in one ear and out the other.” I am sure I have missed some of God’s whisperings because I didn’t pay enough attention to what he was trying to convey through something I heard or saw or read. It takes effort and concentration to hear these subtle inputs from the Lord. Thankfully, once we practice and understand how it works, we can develop a habit of hearing his voice better.
My elderly grandfather was kindly referred to by everyone as “hard of hearing.” You had to get right next to his ear and speak loudly and hope for the best.
I certainly would not want to be considered by others as “hard of hearing” in a spiritual sense. That’s something worth thinking about for a minute of your time. Am I hearing God well? Does he have to shout in my ear from up close? Am I tuned in to his voice so that I can hear him, even if it’s a whisper?
Blessings!
Chaplain Mark