Listen Closely

When I'm exercising I like to listen to a variety of things. Running is always done to music, but I will listen to podcasts in the gym. Sometimes they are geared towards leadership, some days are focused on listening to other pastors messages, and others days it's sports. This helps me drown out the other noises and focus on what I'm doing.

Today I was at the back of the gym listening to a podcast while a workout class was taking place near me. Their trainer was yelling out instructions and countdowns to the entire group while loud music played in the background. There was also the mixed soundtrack of people lifting weights, the treadmills and ellipticals behind me, and my own rowing machine. With this cacophony of sounds I had to concentrate a little more than usual to hear my own headphones and what I was trying to take in. With a little focus I was able to tune out the other noises and hear what I wanted to hear.

Can we learn to tune out other distracting noises and listen to what is most important? Are we able to narrow our focus so we can pay attention to what matters most instead of being constantly distracted by surrounding sound? The noises around us may not be completely bad, but they can cause us to lose positive momentum if we can't focus on the messages we need to hear.

Tough Audience

I’ve spoken to a wide variety of audiences in the past twenty plus years. The size of the group has varied from just a few to over a thousand and the setting has been just as different. In recent years it has been mostly adults, but there have been a large number of youth as well. There have been classroom settings, church congregations, youth groups, middle school camps, wedding and funeral attendees, conferences, and devotional thoughts. While I was always invited to speak (in one way or another) that doesn’t mean I was always well received. Some were eagerly open to what I had to say, some maintained tolerance (with a dash of indifference), and others were openly hostile, although that was rare. The receptivity of the crowd and the circumstances surrounding our communication would determine how tough the audience was.

If I was asked to identify the toughest audience I ever had to speak to, it wouldn’t be a difficult question to answer. It wouldn’t be a youth group or a disgruntled group of adults resistant to a message of change. The truth is that the toughest audience I’ve ever had to speak to is me. I know me far too well, think too cynically at times, and don’t always believe the positive things I tell myself. Even when I know what I have to say is good for me, I don’t always take it as well as I should.

A good speaker finds a way to connect with their listeners even through their resistance. You change your approach, use humor to loosen them up, and feel the tone of the room to discover if you’re making an impact. It’s interesting how changing things up is the best way for me to learn to listen to my own voice of reason.

Competing Noise

My wife was sitting on the couch watching television while I was making a smoothie earlier today. The sound of the blender was drowning out her program and making it difficult to watch. I realized she had paused Netflix when I couldn't hear anything coming from the living room. When I asked her what she was doing, she told me she didn't want to try and compete with the blender's volume and would wait until I was done before she resumed watching. She made sure I knew she wasn't upset about it and she didn't want to get into a battle of volumes, but would wait for the right time.

How often do discussions and differing opinions become battles of escalating volume? We feel the need to speak our thoughts and will do so regardless of what other people are sharing. Adding multiple voices on top of each other creates a cacophony of noise resulting in a lack of clarity and decreased feelings of personal value. 

There is a way to find an equal opportunity to share, but it will require an attitude of patient humility and a willingness to listen. Choosing to wait your turn isn't just polite. It's the only way we can engage each other while appreciating the value of what someone else has to say.

Just Listen

We hosted a Suicide Awareness Symposium at Northridge today as a service to our community. I have had my own life deeply impacted by suicide and was grateful for the wisdom and encouragement offered by all. This is can be an area of great unease, but one it is necessary to talk about if we want to help people in crisis.

I believe there are more people in that type of crisis around us than we know. I feel certain a great number of people in our community are struggling with feelings of hopelessness. If we want to be able to help, we've got to learn to listen.

Part of this involves hearing what people have to say, but it also means we are paying attention to nonverbal communication. Engaging all of our senses in compassionately caring for our community gives us the ability to see what is actually going on. This won't happen if we don't slow down our personal pace of life enough to notice. Our desire to listen means we will focus our attention (without any other distractions) on being present for those in need. Intently listening lets someone know we are there and we care what happens to them. Sometimes that focused compassion may be enough to save someone from making a choice they won't live to regret.

Keep Talking

I love a good conversation. It can center on sports (a definite favorite of mine), my family, problems & solutions, or an exchange of ideas that stretches my mind. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to have all of these happen over a cup of coffee. There are also days where they are interspersed throughout my schedule with good friends and family. I enjoy the shared dialogue, listening to inspiring passions, helping through a difficulty, or even just laughing over a funny story.

There is an intimacy and openness in genuine conversation that is missing in our social media driven world. Perhaps we should commit to reestablishing the practice of face-to-face communication. I believe we would strengthen our relationships and actually enjoy listening to what other people have to say. We might find more value in it than we anticipate.

Questioning

I believe in the power of a well-timed, well-phrased question. It has the ability to draw people close together, to bring insightful clarity, and to communicate interested concern. There are two keys that make the art of question & answer effective.


1. Ask the right question.

2. Listen intently to the answer.


You will never get the answer you are looking for if you ignore either one of these.

Listen Up!

What do you do when someone is trying to tell you something important? Do we take the time to set aside all distractions and focus on what they have to say or do we only partially commit our attention? I suppose that it might depend on who is speaking to us and the value we place on the words they will share. When it is someone we respect it changes how quickly we stop to listen. Our readiness to receive these words will determine how we take what is offered and put it into action.

Old & Familiar

I needed to fill a cooler with ice for our life group picnic yesterday and went to the kitchen at the church. I

opened the ice machine and scooped the ice into the cooler and was mentally transported back to my days working at Mainland High School. The distinctive sound of ice falling from a metal scoop to land in a plastic-bottomed cooler with a loud, "BANG!" brought me to the hundreds (if not thousands) of coolers I filled throughout my career in athletic training. It evoked memories of sweltering days of August football, blustery Saturdays filled with soccer, and prepping for five different events at once. I could feel myself in the environment of the old athletic training facility with gold & royal blue cabinets and tables. The bustle of athletic training students and athletes coming in and out fills the with air with conversation and laughter. Intermittent announcements blare over the intercom as we shout over them to get people's attention. The line of athletes waiting to be taped & treated starts to lengthen. Eventually the room clears as practices begin and buses leave for road trips. These are some of my fondest memories of great years in my life.

It is said that the old & familiar is an anchor to the soul. It applies to the meaning found in an old song, the sound of a loved one's voice, the noise of a car that signals a father's arrival from work, the comforting creak of a floorboard in a family house, or a jingling collar as a family pet trots to the door. These noises are all a key part of our memories and the unexpected sound of them so many years later can quickly transport us on a sweet ride down memory lane.

Assume the Position

When I worked in athletic training there was a phrase that we would hope we wouldn't have to use when dealing with injuries. It was something that we only said when it was a serious incident and one in which we suspected that damage had been done to the cervical spine of the athlete. It was simply, "assume the position." When given as a directive, it instructed the other athletic trainer to stabilize the head and neck so that no other potential damage could occur. It instantly put you on alert and had you waiting further instructions as the current situation was handled. It was not something that was used lightly, you took your responsibility very seriously and were ready to follow through on the best plan of action.

The "assume the position" phrase came to mind tonight in a slightly different light as we talked about the Biblical account of Samuel hearing from God. The idea was that we need to strategically position ourselves to be available to hear from Him. It requires humbling ourselves to his directives, being on alert for what He might have to say and taking this privilege and honor very seriously. It means eliminating distractions and other competing noises so that we can effectively hear from God and then do something with it.

It's not easy to do with the multiple layers of influence on us and with the noisy distractions we surround ourselves with. If we desire to eagerly and obediently fulfill our calling in Christ however, it's essential.