The simple act of listening well to a person almost always changes your perception of who they are. In this week’s blog, I will share a few of my personal experiences about listening.
I have never been a shepherd, but I have been to Central Asia and have witnessed the profession in practice. Shepherds are both men and women of all ages. In the Bible, Rachel is the first woman shepherd introduced: “Rachel came with her father’s sheep for she was their shepherd” (Gen. 29:6). Later, we meet David who was a shepherd as a young boy.
Shepherding is one of the oldest professions in the world. For centuries, shepherds have wandered hillsides, enduring harsh weather conditions, and fighting off predators, for the sole purpose of protecting and caring for their sheep. The shepherd is present through every situation. Whether in feeding, providing medical attention or simply for guidance to the next pasture, the shepherd uses his or her voice to direct the sheep. To sheep, the voice of the shepherd is a reassuring presence. Sheep understand that the shepherd has their well-being at heart, so they trust in the voice that gives loving direction to their lives. Sheep respond to the shepherd’s voice like no other.
Jesus was often referred to as the Good Shepherd because His desire for mankind is similar. He wants to care for us, to love and protect us, to tenderly bandage our wounds when the predators of this world attack, and to direct our path to greener pastures, giving hope to the future. He longs for us to hear His voice.
But how do we listen to the voice of God? I believe that He uses many ways to speak to us; through the Bible and other writings and through people and circumstances. I am sure that He also speaks audibly to some but this has not been my experience. For me, I have heard Him speaking to my heart. It’s not audible but it is very clear.
I started to hear God speak in this way when I was a teenager. I grew up in the church and was very active in a para-church ministry in high school. I committed much of my time to reading the Bible and journaling. But, when God began to speak to my heart, it scared me so much, I consciously began to close myself off to His voice. I didn’t mention it to anyone because I thought they might question my mental state…I did. Sure, I continued to do all the things that church goers do but it’s amazing how you can busy yourself so much in activity for God that you miss the relationship with God.
It wasn’t until I was an adult, in my early thirties, that the notion that God really does speak to us today was introduced to me. I found myself in a small group that was focused on hearing God. It was then, that I began to understand the many ways that God communicates with us. This new discovery was exciting and an amazing relief, leaving me eager to experience what I had years earlier. So… I often found myself setting aside time to wait in quiet for God to speak. There were many days that silencing my mind from the busyness of the day was a challenge, after all, I did have two little boys. I had to be strategic with my time and found that the more I was able to be still, the more the voice of God was able to break through to my heart.
There have been many times that God has spoken through the chaos of the day to give me a kind word of encouragement. I have a vivid memory of when God spoke through my five year old son many years ago.
Fitting a daily life into the process of building a house can be a challenge. It was an all-consuming task for us and we found ourselves needing to consult on the building results almost every day. One Tuesday during the process, my younger son and I stopped by the house to consult on the placement of the vacuum cleaner system prior to going to our regular bible study meeting. It was a wonderful bible study for moms with a special program for children that my son really enjoyed. As we waited at the house for the contractor to arrive, it became obvious that we were going to be late for our weekly meeting. My son became very concerned and reminded me several times that we needed to leave. “We’re going to be late, Mom”. Finally, his little voice broke through when he said, “You know, Mom, bible study is much more important than the vacuum cleaner system”. He was five. I never scheduled an appointment on that day again.
Learning to quiet your life also includes quieting your mind. Sometimes busyness can manifest itself in my thoughts as I am listening to a person share their story. I may have the best of intentions at heart but important details of someone’s story can be missed if I am thinking about how I might respond to what is being shared.
In my relationship with God, I must admit that most of the time I am telling God how I think my life should be rather than listening to what He has to say about it. But, when I take time to listen, I begin to see God in a new light and understand more deeply His love for me.
There are some days that I am more successful at listening to people and to God. It takes practice. Fortunately, we have a lifetime to master the skill.
“My sheep hear My voice. I know them, and they follow Me”. (John 10:27)
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