A Man of Understanding

This is part three (read part 1 and 2) of a series about my friend and fellow pilgrim, Tom. In the previous two parts, Tom shared his insights about humility and patience. It amazes and inspires me to watch Tom continue to care about and pursue God’s will, despite being paralyzed from ALS. Tom is the incarnation of Apostle Paul’s words, “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day…” (2 Corinthians 4:8-18)

I visited Tom today, and as usual, I asked him if God was showing him anything new. He replied, “He’s shown me I have a long way to go and a short time to get there. He’s been showing me that I need to be a better listener. I feel convicted about it.” Tom commented on the moderator of a Christian television talk show who ignited his conviction. He’d noticed what a “good listener” the moderator was. Tom elaborated, “His guest talked about Jerusalem being the ‘fig tree’ referred to in Bible prophesies. He asked him to show him where in the Bible that it specifically says so. He never interrupted the fellow except to tie what he said to the Bible or to clarify something.” Tom concluded, “There aren’t very many good listeners. Most people are thinking about what they’re going to say next instead of really listening to you.”

As I listened to Tom I realized he was describing something beyond just hearing. He was talking about being a discriminating listener, about leading every word captive. He pointed out how many of us accept what other’s say without question. Tom continued; “People will believe anything they want to hear or see. There are a lot of people who just listen to the preacher without studying it themselves. The fellow who wrote the song about Noah’s Arc said the animals entered by twos. But the Bible doesn’t say that. The “unclean” animals entered by twos but the “clean” animals entered by sevens; because the animals were used for sacrifices and food for Noah’s family while they were on the arc (Genesis 7). And people talk about the ‘streets of gold’, but the Bible refers to the ‘street of gold’. There is only one street. You can check it out.” So I did and found that Tom was correct. I could hardly believe it! I’ve read that story several times but overlooked the animals that entered by “sevens”. Preconceived ideas can blind us, can’t they? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be a parrot, sitting on its artificial perch, just mindlessly repeating what it’s been taught to say.

I’m confident you’ll agree, that at times, we pretend to listen; half listen or just don’t listen at all. Why? Scott Peck in his book, “The Road Less Traveled”, postulated, “The principal form that the work of love takes is attention. When we love another we give him or her our attention…The act of attending requires that we make the effort to set aside our existing preoccupations and actively shift our consciousness…listening well is an exercise of attention and by necessity, hard work. It is because they are not willing to do the work that most people do not listen well.”

The bottom line is that if we really care about and respect others we will do the work of attending. We will listen with a desire to understand. Are you feeling convicted yet? I sure am. What do you say then, let’s join Tom in his endeavor to become a better listener. Let’s determine to be men of understanding for, “A plan in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out.” (Proverbs 20:5)

This is part three of a five part series. Follow this link to read part 4.