“What?” It was not the first time today I had uttered that question. “What? What did you say?” With patience almost as huge as the heavy sigh he breathed out, my husband started again.
I knew he was frustrated. I was, too. Several times today he had spoken to me, and I had not heard. Was he mumbling? Is my hearing beginning to fade? Has my brain stopped processing sound effectively? Are my ears losing the ability to recognize the frequency of his voice? No, this problem was much worse, and it had nothing to do with him.
Bill and I have been married for nearly 27 years. He knows me better than anyone, and I know him. Yet, we have a problem that doesn’t seem to get better with time. Over the years, we have continued this battle. Regardless of our familiarity with one another, this struggle persists.
Our difficulty is not something that is unique to us. Many times I have heard that this same breakdown plagues couples from every walk of life causing frustration for both parties on a regular basis.
The problem… as much as I hate to admit it… is this: I don’t always listen to him.
When my attention is fixated on something specific, I am quite capable of ignoring the rest of the world. I don’t hear other people in the room; I don’t notice outside noises. Unfortunately, this also means tuning out my husband.
If I am reading a book, studying a lesson, writing a sermon, watching a television show, completing a crossword puzzle, or any number of activities that require my brain to engage, I tend to concentrate so intently that my focus is challenging to break. To simply walk into a room and talk to me has no guarantee that I am hearing you.
To further exasperate the issue, I have been known on occasion to actually answer – regardless of whether I have paid attention to the conversation or to my own comments. Of course, later I have no recollection of any of it.
I know I do it; I know it is annoying. I know it happens more often than I care to acknowledge. I answer out of habit rather than engaging. Even more often I simply hear pieces of words and when I finally realize my attention is required, I speak that frustrating single-word question: “What?” And whether audible to me or not, my husband responds with a heavy sigh.
I love the Lord because he hears my requests for mercy. I’ll call out to him as long as I live, because he listens closely to me. (Psalm 116:1-2, CEB) God listens closely to me. The Creator of everything focuses completely, pays attention, acknowledges fully… me. How I can be important enough to put aside all distraction is beyond my understanding, and yet here we are. Nothing else in the world matters because when I talk, God hears me and never asks “what?” Even better is that when God speaks directly to me and I don’t listen, I never receive the heavy sigh that I so readily deserve.
My sweet husband loves me and is extremely patient with me, but he doesn’t compare to the patience and love given by the God I serve. Thank you, Lord, for hearing my requests for mercy and for listening closely to me.
Learning to listen,
Pastor Beth
I knew he was frustrated. I was, too. Several times today he had spoken to me, and I had not heard. Was he mumbling? Is my hearing beginning to fade? Has my brain stopped processing sound effectively? Are my ears losing the ability to recognize the frequency of his voice? No, this problem was much worse, and it had nothing to do with him.
Bill and I have been married for nearly 27 years. He knows me better than anyone, and I know him. Yet, we have a problem that doesn’t seem to get better with time. Over the years, we have continued this battle. Regardless of our familiarity with one another, this struggle persists.
Our difficulty is not something that is unique to us. Many times I have heard that this same breakdown plagues couples from every walk of life causing frustration for both parties on a regular basis.
The problem… as much as I hate to admit it… is this: I don’t always listen to him.
When my attention is fixated on something specific, I am quite capable of ignoring the rest of the world. I don’t hear other people in the room; I don’t notice outside noises. Unfortunately, this also means tuning out my husband.
If I am reading a book, studying a lesson, writing a sermon, watching a television show, completing a crossword puzzle, or any number of activities that require my brain to engage, I tend to concentrate so intently that my focus is challenging to break. To simply walk into a room and talk to me has no guarantee that I am hearing you.
To further exasperate the issue, I have been known on occasion to actually answer – regardless of whether I have paid attention to the conversation or to my own comments. Of course, later I have no recollection of any of it.
I know I do it; I know it is annoying. I know it happens more often than I care to acknowledge. I answer out of habit rather than engaging. Even more often I simply hear pieces of words and when I finally realize my attention is required, I speak that frustrating single-word question: “What?” And whether audible to me or not, my husband responds with a heavy sigh.
I love the Lord because he hears my requests for mercy. I’ll call out to him as long as I live, because he listens closely to me. (Psalm 116:1-2, CEB) God listens closely to me. The Creator of everything focuses completely, pays attention, acknowledges fully… me. How I can be important enough to put aside all distraction is beyond my understanding, and yet here we are. Nothing else in the world matters because when I talk, God hears me and never asks “what?” Even better is that when God speaks directly to me and I don’t listen, I never receive the heavy sigh that I so readily deserve.
My sweet husband loves me and is extremely patient with me, but he doesn’t compare to the patience and love given by the God I serve. Thank you, Lord, for hearing my requests for mercy and for listening closely to me.
Learning to listen,
Pastor Beth