The Art of Listening

Replica Ark of the Covenant
Wikipedia

Almost 30 years ago I was involved in a conversation about the Old Testament.  Involved is an overstatement.  Most of the time I was just hearing the other people because I didn't  understand what they were talking about.  I had studied Spanish minimally and had only lived in Spain for about a month.

I was in Spain serving a religious mission. I spent a lot of time reading scriptures and during that week I was studying the Pentateuch.  When the conversation turned to the Ark I became very excited.  I could contribute to the conversation.  I found it remarkable  that I had been reading about the ark of the covenant that very morning comparing its references in the King James and Reina Valera translations.

So with my limited Spanish I broke into the conversation and spent the next 10-15 minutes talking. I used the symbolic importance of the Ark and its imbued power to weave  an intricate discussion regarding God, His Grace, Love and Power.  I made numerous grammatical errors but I am confident I was well understood.

This story highlights key differences between hearing and listening.  I was trying to listen but I could not.  I didn't have the skill set to understand.  I could try and follow the flow of the conversation but the language was foreign and it was almost all that I could do to just hear.  To add the responsibility of listening would have been too much.  So I sat there and heard until I thought I had listened.

I had not.

Ark Replica
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My friends had been discussing the ark of Noah.  Quite a different theme I'd say.  You can certainly use Noah's story to talk about God, His Grace and Love but I still sit here and shake my head about what my friends must have been thinking as I was clearly off on my own tangent.  They were patient and kind.  Honestly, not one of them has ever made fun of me for talking too much or off topic.  The only one who has ever beat me up about the experience has been me.

Today I use that experience to remind myself to listen and not just hear.  As you learn a new language you train yourself to hear the breaks in the words and how they differ from the breaks in syllables.  Once you have that down you can start to understand the words people speak.  From that understanding you can take your hearing to listening.

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Listening is measured by our ability to hear the pause in the conversation and keep silent.  It takes a lot of effort to honor those pauses. Many times we fill the pause because we know the words that can be said.  But just because we can doesn't always mean that we should.  I invite you to join with me in the cause of listening.  This doesn't mean I won't speak but I ask you to invite me to listen when you haven't stopped, but merely paused.