My Little Devotional: "Do You Hear What I Hear?"

Inspiration for Today’s Devotional: “The Last Crusade”

Scootaloo was initially overjoyed when she heard that she’d finally get a chance to spend more time with her parents, whose job constantly kept them away from home and on the road. Unfortunately, that joy turned to dread when she realized that rather than the two of them settling down, they were wanting to take her with them on their job–meaning she would have to abandon Ponyville and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders. And in spite of numerous attempts Scootaloo made to keep the move from happening, in spite of what her parents had to know about how she had gotten her Cutie Mark and what she had been doing in town, in spite of her outright telling them that they weren’t thinking of her with this decision, and even in spite of her trying to run away from home to avoid being forced to comply, it wasn’t until the whole town got together for a special celebration of the CMCs that her parents realized what an important job she was doing. Only then did they finally hear what she had been trying to tell them about why she needed to stay.

When considering what sets human beings apart from all of God’s other creations, one might point to our ability to communicate. While some creatures are able to relay relatively complicated directions to fellow members of their species through body language, there is no animal that compares to humans for the ability to talk to one another. How we are able to share so much of our emotions, our history, complex thoughts, complicated science, and a wealth of other information is unprecedented among any other creature. It’s largely responsible for how our society has been able to exist and thrive.

Yet while the ability to speak is great and powerful in and of itself, what might truly set us apart is the other end of the equation–the ability to listen. All of the words in the world won’t make a difference if no one is around to hear them and understand them, after all. More important, however, is the fact that what we as human beings value more than anything else is someone who “hears” us. We all want at least one person to listen to us when we have problems or concerns we’re trying to work through. We all want someone to show interest and assign importance to things that we like or what we do in our jobs and hobbies. And we certainly all want someone to respond to us when we’re recounting something sad or tragic to us personally.

In fact, I dare say that how we as humans truly measure our value or worth is by how many people “listen to us”. Our leaders both politically and in business always have speeches, rallies, and conferences where crowds of people are hanging on their every word. Value on the Internet is measured by how many people are subscribed to or following us; i.e. how many people regularly pay attention to us. And all of us would agree that nothing makes us feel more worthless, scared, and isolated than when no one seems to care or hear us.

Truly, the old proverb that God gave us one mouth and two ears so that we’d spend twice as much time listening as speaking rings true.

Yet as this episode clearly demonstrated, there is a difference between listening and hearing. While Scootaloo had been writing to her parents about her life experiences and everything she had been doing with the CMCs, they clearly hadn’t understood just how important that work had been, or how important her friends were to her. They had assumed they knew better and that their decision would be the best in the long run. In fact, based on an earlier episode, it was hinted that they didn’t even think Scootaloo was capable of doing something great and monumental with her life based on her disability. And as a result of feeling like she was being ignored and forced into a bad decision, Scootaloo ended up rebelling and then ran away from home to try and avoid their decision to move the family. Clearly, even if they were “hearing” and responding to her individual comments and concerns, Scootaloo’s parents weren’t “listening”.

Whether dealing with somewhat-neglectful parents, speakers on a campus, business meetings, or anywhere else in which communication is present, it is important to know the difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is largely passive. It’s simply being there and staying quiet while someone else is speaking. Whether any of what is said sinks in or not, on the other hand, is irrelevant. One might ignore the bulk of what was said and focus just on whatever interests them. Or they might grab a few choice phrases that reinforce what they already have in their mind and then discard the rest. In worse cases, they might just patiently wait for the other person to stop talking without really caring about their point of view or what they’re saying, then respond with what they want to say. Or they might be like Scootaloo’s parents…assuming that what they want already is best and so dismissing everything they hear without considering its weight or worth.

Listening, on the other hand, is active. It involves processing everything that’s heard. It’s actively considering and then assimilating words into one’s own consciousness, evaluating the individual points and, if necessary, making changes and adjustments to one’s mentality as a result. It doesn’t always involve changing one’s mind, but it does involve actually devoting a bit of time to ruminating over something and seeing if it truly does have worth or merit. Often, it involves needing to pause to see the other person’s point of view and feelings. It also tends to involve recognizing the good points in what is being said even if the overall idea is bad. Far from being an idle situation in which one simply sits back and waits for a person to stop talking, it’s an intensive, empathetic, and brain-working process.

More than that, it’s a sign of true courtesy and respect for someone that you actually pay heed to them and listen. To take a moment to truly acknowledge them by not only letting them express their feelings and point of view but to carefully consider it and evaluate it, as opposed to letting one speak and then saying: “Well, all of that doesn’t matter because all of my thoughts and ideas are better.” Even if one does have the better idea or the more sound decision, taking a moment to seriously listen to and hear someone else’s side at least shows acknowledgement and avows that we believe that person and their opinion has worth–which is a key step in making friends with people with different points of view.

On the other hand, ignoring another person’s thoughts, misinterpreting what they say and then slandering against that misrepresentation, or simply trying to shout one down angrily and loudly is not only a sign of disrespect but is a rather quick way to build animosity. Unfortunately, it’s very easy to get trapped in one of these situations. Especially in the modern day on the Internet. You can look at any argument online and see that it eventually degenerates into screaming and slander. Even in situations in which one refutes another’s points, it’s rarely done from a position of respect; indicating that the opponent at least acknowledges the other person’s opinion. It’s more often an attempt to humiliate and embarrass them while trying to prop up oneself and make oneself look smarter. Even ignoring those situations, it can be rather hard to remain calm and respectful to another person when that person is clearly not listening to us and is just trying to intimidate us into being quiet or continuously talk until they get their way. At those times, the temptation is to go tit-for-tat and down to their level to respond in kind.

The Bible, however, calls us to be greater than that. Proverbs cautions us about the need to listen to and understand others.

“To answer before listening—that is folly and shame.” (Proverbs 18:13)

“Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.” (Proverbs 18:2)

Furthermore, Philippians advises us of the ever-present need to consider the importance and values of others more highly than ourselves.

“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

Even in a world that’s seemingly getting ever more “loud”, we’re always encouraged to be quiet and pay attention to others…not just to hear them but to listen to them.

The good part about this is that listening is one of the easiest and most “at-hand” methods available to minister to others. Taking time out to hear the concerns of a troubled friend or co-worker is an excellent way to show others that you care, and makes a mountain of difference to a person who feels they are all alone with their problems. You’d be surprised at what sort of hostile and aggressive situations can sometimes be diffused by the other party remaining calm and quietly listening to the concerns of the other individual, and all just from someone bothering to hear what they have to say and assigning it some value. For me, it goes without saying that the people I admire the most and always want to be around are those in my life who make time to hear and truly listen to me when I have a concern. And as this episode shows, we can avoid a lot of unnecessary strain and conflict in our lives if we pause to listen more instead of just hearing.

One of the most priceless yet valuable things we can give to others is our time and attention, including when we just sit down and listen to them. My encouragement for today’s devotional is that we all stop to think about that for a little while, and see if we’re giving our friends and loved ones the sort of time and attention they deserve…or if there’s someone we can give a little more to.

Lastly, if we feel we’re coming up short in this regard, perhaps we should all take a little more time to listen for the Voice of the Lord in our lives. Especially not to miss out on any message He has for us.

Suggested Prayer: “Lord God, thank you that you always have time for my own concerns and cares, and that you’re always available whenever I feel alone and abandoned. As you have encouraged me and been my support, please help me to be just as attentive and caring to the needs of others and never dismissive or judgmental. As your word instructs, help me to always place the needs of others before myself. Gratefully in Jesus’ Name, Amen.”