Hearing? or Listening to Learn?

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The greater our knowledge increases the more our ignorance unfolds. (John F. Kennedy)

The mind of a person with understanding gets knowledge; the wise person listens to learn more. (Proverbs 18:15)

I would like us to consider if we are listening to just 'hear', or are we listening to 'learn more'? The first option is a very common occurrence in society today - someone talks, we listen, but do we really hear their heart, understand their turmoil, or experience their grief? When we listen to 'learn more' there is an investment of ourselves in the life of the one we are actually 'hearing'. 

God wants to be the first person we listen to 'learn more' from in this walk we undertake each day with him. He also wants us to develop this sense of 'learning more' when we engage with others who come across our path each day. It is good to hear but hearing alone doesn't really require that much effort. We get 'knowledge' as we hear, but we don't see knowledge convert to wisdom until we listen to 'learn more'.

As Kennedy indicated, knowledge might just increase, but it never ensures wisdom as a result of that increase. In fact, if what he says holds true, just gaining knowledge (hearing alone) may actually reveal just how ignorant we are as a society. God's plan is that we actually take time to invest in the actions of 'hearing in order to learn more'. Yes, it requires time and effort. Yes, it means we might actually have to lay down our own agenda a bit to truly 'hear' what is being said. In so doing, we might just learn more than we bargained.

God asks us to stop and listen. Why? Ceasing the actions of our day might not always be the easiest thing to do, but when we set aside that time to actually listen to him, we find our hearts begin to 'assimilate' the knowledge he brings into the conversation. This is why I set aside each morning to 'listen' and to 'learn more'. If you have not made a special time to just be quiet and listen, do so. You will be delighted to know just how much God wants to you 'learn' at his feet. Just sayin!

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