Turn Up The Volume!

Is hearing the same as listening?

I sem to have very good hearing but I often wonder how good my listening is. On tests I scored pretty high on "listening skills" but that of course was when I was trying extra hard.

And recently I was thinking about this, how you could have amazing hearing like a bats but still not be listening to what's going on around you. And I have to say I know plenty of people with this same problem and even some with the opposite. Some people have poor hearing but once they hear what you said they understand what you are saying.

I've noticed for a while that whenever somebody says something to me or asks a question my automatic response is "Hmm?" or "Huh?" And they repeat themselves. But I heard what they said and I'm just still processing it I guess because even though I heard them I haven't thought of what to say back just yet. And I can try to understand and explain it but it seems in the end it's just a type of reflex that I'm unsure if I can get over. But that's just kind of a side note. RIght now I want to write about listening skills!

When I thought about this a verse came to mind 1 Kings 19:11-12

"The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper."

I was thinking about how in this verse God wasn't in the huge loud things when He spoke but in a gentle (or quiet and still) voice. And how if I'm not listening maybe Im not hearing the small voice! By not listening how can I expect to hear? Watching out for that small voice to be heard seems like something very difficult for me to do right now. And is on my long list of things I need to work on! When that small voice talks to me I want to not only hear it but listen to it!

Mainly I've been thinking about this because I'm at a sort of crossroads right now. I'm not sure what God wants me to move into for Him and sadly I'm being impatient in hearing what it is. I want to know what it is and get started on it but I'm not sure if God hasn't told me yet or if I just wasn't listening to Him when He did! I want to be able to hear God as soon as He speaks to be, listen to His will, and do it! And it seems that right now all the distractions I had are slowly being stripped away from me... Soon I may just be left with me and His voice! And that would be an amazing thing! So right now I'm learning a crucial thing, Shut Up!

I need to shut it and just let God speak instead of doing all the talking myself! How can He talk t me if I wont let Him get a word in? It's hard to talk to people who interrupt whenever you try to speak (guilty of this :( sadly) and I imagine it's just as hard for God!

So todays lesson is to be still and silent or to put it simply "Sit down and Shut Up!"

I wish I could write more but today was a packed and long one so I don't have the time to! More tomorrow! Good night all!

Keeping the Faith,

C.A.M