Hearing and Doing

“Did you hear me?” “Are you listening?” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked the kids those questions. Sometimes I make them repeat back to me what I said, just to confirm that they’ve heard the words.

But the problem is rarely that they didn’t hear the words. Rather, there’s usually a disconnect between hearing the words and acting appropriately. Most often, the process of hearing involves following up with certain actions. Hearing almost always involves some sort of doing.

Sometimes we might think that we don’t hear from God that much. But I don’t think that’s the problem. Typically, the greater issue is that we don’t take appropriate action.

We might hear God prompting us to reach out to someone, but we let the moment pass. Maybe we hear God telling us to hold our tongue in the midst of our frustration, but we decide to give in instead. Someone’s been on our mind lately and they probably need our help, but we tell ourselves that someone else can be more helpful.

This week, take opportunities to listen carefully to the voice of God. Then act!

Blessings,
Pastor Paul Cook