Do you hear what I hear?

Do you ever find yourself getting so caught up in how something is presented - you fail to hear the presentation?

I know I have talked before about how three different witnesses at any given accident, will see three different things.  They may or may not complement the other's version and that is because we all bring our own personal bias, life lessons and viewpoint to whatever we are looking at.  The same can also be said about how we listen.

No matter what our intent when it comes to listening, if we can't hear, or have difficulty hearing, this will also change the message.  We have a choice to listen but may have physical limitations when it comes to actually hearing.

At my house, I generally repeat things at least twice, sometimes three times, depending on my audience.  When Madison was little, she was having a hearing test - both ears independent of the other and then together.  Madison has no hearing in her right ear.  It was a real learning experience for me to learn how some words could sound so different when you are only hearing with one ear.  I will never forget the time when I was talking with someone (about Madison) and all of a sudden she piped up "I can hear you, mom, I have ear".



This past weekend, as we were leaving church on New Year's Eve (the best way to close out one year and begin anew for the next), we stood in line greet Pastor.  I couldn't help but overhear an older gentleman make a comment to Pastor something like this..."You only used the word Jesus three times in your sermon tonight".  The man looked a bit unhappy and Pastor quickly asked him "an observation or complaint?"  And the man gruffly said "complaint".  It was duly noted.

I chose not to say anything to Pastor after we wished him a Happy New Year but I have thought about the conversation often since.  I wish I would have said "sometimes we get so caught up in listening for a key word or phrase, that we end up missing the whole message".  And I did hear a message that night.  I cannot tell you how many times Pastor said ANY word in his sermon.  I try to attentively listen to the words as a whole and the intent in which it is presented.  But everyone is different.

So, are we really listening or just hearing?  Because if we are just hearing, we are not listening.  And if we can't hear (physically), what do we need to do to effectively listen?  There are so many components of a message; voice tone, speed of delivery, eye contact, body gestures...and oh yeah, the words that make up the message. Then we need to take into account our mood, our receptiveness, etc. etc.  Finally, do all things relate, or in this instance, should they stand alone?

In an intense discussion, do you hear a verdict, or were you just offered a solution?  I guess it depends on what you were listening for.

Until next time,
#areyoulisteningtome?

your pal,
Kari