Do You Hear What I Hear? by Eileen Alpaugh

Oh my, I feel a series coming on. There are so many things to learn about the art of listening. The older I get the more I realize how many situations teeter on the brink of success or failure based on good communication or the lack thereof. It has recently become one of the main things needing my attention and concentration. I’m amazed at what I am learning.

I am blessed to spend the majority of my days in the company of Christians. We share the same faith, the same convictions, the same passions and the same struggles. We work together, minister together and fellowship together. Yet with all we have in common, we struggle in the area of communication. More often that not we discover we have ‘heard’ very different things in our conversations and meetings. It has been laughable at times as we revisit a topic to learn just how mixed our messages got.

It reminds me of a quote from Robert McCloskey, U.S. State Department spokesman, at a press briefing during the Vietnam War. He said, “ I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”

Each of us has a way of processing information based on many factors; how we were raised, our experiences, our fears and our desires to name a few. Much of what we hear is filter through the ‘what’s in it for me’ standard. How does this pertain to me, what will be required of me, does this interest me, what will my response be, and so on.

All this has made me wonder about how I ‘hear’ the Word of God. How many times have I listened to a sermon or read Scripture from the ‘what’s in it for me’ standpoint causing me to miss what the Spirit of God was saying – which, if I had actually heard would have been so much more meaningful than what I was hoping He would say. Oh how gracious He is to keep saying what I need to hear until I have an ear to hear.

Romans 12 speaks about how we are transformed by the renewing of our mind. As the Word of God corrects the way we think, it allows us to hear from a new perspective – His perspective. Oh, how I long for that. I know it’s a process and will take time. And to help me along, I have His people with whom I can practice.

As the Holiday approaches and the New Year begins, I pray God will bless you with the richness of His presence and the abundance of His Peace. May you hear His message of unsurpassed love and unfathomable grace in every carol that is sung, may you see His hands of mercy reaching out to those in need and may you be the light that shines to those who still walk in darkness, waiting to hear.

With much love, Eileen