03.01.10
Can You Hear Me Now?
As I’ve arrived at the official age of senior citizenry, I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that my hearing seems to be a bit dull. It’s becoming more difficult to screen or distinguish words in the midst of background noise. In the car with the radio going or at home with the TV and the dishwasher doing a duet, my wife’s voice becomes muffled sometimes by the competing sounds. I have learned that in order to really communicate with her, I need to turn off the distracting sounds and focus my attention on her. That might be in the quiet of a darkened bedroom at bedtime, in the car as we drive to our next “event,” or over a table for two at our weekly date time. When the busyness level drops and the distractions of the day are blocked out, I can hear and understand her. And that makes for a happy wife AND a happy husband.
But you know what? My spiritual ears grow dull from time to time, too. With a job, an avocation or two, and family demands, it’s easy to let my life become overrun with noises and distractions that dull my sensitivity to the presence of God. In the midst of a schedule that never seems to let up, it can become increasingly difficult to discern the voice of God over all the other “voices” demanding our time and attention.
Perhaps we all need to schedule time regularly to follow God’s admonition to “Be Still and know that I am God.” (Isaiah 46:10) Perhaps we need to turn of the computer, the TV, and the telephone for while. Perhaps we need to bow out of a responsibility, give a little less time to a time-consuming hobby, or give up some overtime on the job. Effective communication and genuine intimacy don’t just happen. Those things are nurtured by attentive, intentional communication.
So nurture your family and yourself with the gift of high quality communication. Get silly on Wii with your children. Sit quietly with your spouse and watch the changing colors of a late winter sky. Kneel reverently at the bedside of that sleeping child or grandchild and remember that it is God alone Who creates and sustains such beauty. Take a few moments each day to meditate on His goodness. Listen for His still, small voice cutting through all the frenzy of life to remind you that He will never leave you nor forsake you. (Joshua 1:9) Take some time every day just to Be Still and Know That (He) Is God and His desire is for you to know Him better.
