Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #8, Part Two

Commit to Listening and Making a Decision
Your SW from 2 weeks ago was about lessening your relational clutter by being more attentive to how you choose to listen, or not to listen, to God and others.  One of the suggestions that I made in helping you to become a better listener and decision maker, was to refer to a dictionary.  I encouraged you to look up the following words to see if their definition supplied you with just one word that might give you a fresh new meaning to your style of listening and making decisions.  Here are the one word definitions that inspired me to get a fresh new insight regarding my own skills with listening and making decisions:

♥Commit - entrust
♥Listening - notice
♥Decision - resolve    
♥Planting - placing
♥Fertile - productive
♥Hear - perceive
♥Understanding - grasp

When I examined the seven words that came out of my definition search, I was reminded of some of the experiences I encountered over the past 2 weeks that mirrored these words.  Noticed was one of the words that was most consistently being spoken into my spirit, and this was prior to me even looking up the definition for listening.  Consequently, I now realize that one of the learning curves for me, in terms of listening, has to do with me becoming more cognizant of my own nonverbal behavior and how it gets heard/perceived.  I think the following story will give more clarity to what I want to say, and I think it is worth noting because it made such an eternal imprint upon my heart.

I had gone for my standing blood draw at the lab.  And as is usually the case, I was reading my leather bound, Jesus Calling, in the waiting area.  I was totally oblivious to what was going on around me.  As I closed the book and reached for my Bible to look up some of the scripture references, an older man said, “Oh, you don’t need to worry or pray honey, it’s no big deal.”  I smiled and responded by saying, “Actually I am not worried.  In fact, I have gotten pretty accustomed to getting my blood routinely drawn.  As for praying, I do that all the time.”  “Oh, I am so sorry!”  He replied.  And then he continued.  “My wife has been so sick and I am not a man of faith.”  “My goodness,” I said and then continued, “There is no need for any apologies.  I am so sorry that you and your wife are going through such difficult times.”  There was silence as he sadly bowed his head.  I began to look for paper so I could write down the book’s name for him, but as I was doing that, this thought got planted/placed in my head, “Give him yours.  He will not go and buy this book.”  I was committed/entrusted to the decision/resolve that was being rooted in the fertile/productive ground of my mind and heart.  “Sir?” I said, as I put the book in his hands in hopes that he would understand/grasp its words someday, “you can read this book every day according to the calendar date and it will help you and your wife to feel less sad and be more hopeful as you experience God’s presence in these pages and in your lives.”  With excitement, he said, “Thank you so much!”  I then heard the technician call out his name, “Mr. Reuben?”   In no time Mr. Reuben was in and out of the office, and as he left he said, “Mam, thank you again.”

It was then my turn to be called in, and I heard, “Colin?”  No one answered to Colin so I figured it had to be me. Jokingly, I said, “Do you mean Colleen?  I have been coming here too often for you to call me Colin!”  There was then laughter as my name was correctly called out.

As I passed by the enclosed reception area, the secretary popped her head out as I entered the blood drawing area.  I had not noticed her before, but here is what she said.  “You are such a blessing every time you come into this office.”  All I could say was, “Really?”  I felt clueless.  She then continued, “What you did for that man this morning was so kind and such a blessing.” My eyes swelled up with tears over the fact that she had noticed, but it was also because she took the time out of her schedule to tell me.  She then made this concluding statement, “When you get the chance, read Ezekiel 16:6.  I "randomly" opened to it this morning after dealing with my daughter’s bloody nose and needing to get myself to work.”

God had obviously planted/placed His foot into that office, and He personally touched a number of us in ways that were seen and unseen.  I could hardly wait to hear/perceive, what God had said to her that morning and what He was going to say to me in the Book of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 16:6 says, “And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, “Live!”  I could only imagine how that mother felt as she listened to what God’s Word told her about the bloody circumstance that she had faced with her daughter that morning.  Did you hear it?  God said, “Live!”  It’s an exclamation.  It’s a command.  It was originally spoken to God’s people, the Israelites, and it is still being spoken to you and I!  Through His Word, God Almighty equipped this mother to go to work feeling His comfort and peace in the midst of cluttered chaos!

But the story does not end here.  God was also speaking to me about my blood!   I was in a blood lab that morning.  I was getting my blood drawn to evaluate my blood levels that have been compromised due to the blood cell changes in my bone marrow that are the result of two rare blood disorders.  What Word in Ezekiel 16:6 do I hold on to, understand /grasp?  It’s “Live!”  Despite my health condition with the blood, I do not doubt or question that I am going to live in this life and the next.

But again, the story does not end here either.  This past week many of us celebrated, or were at least aware, of it being Passover and Easter.  This week, I invite you to commit/entrust your SW to defining or describing Passover and then Easter in one sentence as you reflect on this word, LIVE.

When I originally conveyed the above story to my daughter, I was so taken back by her profound response that emphasized the word noticed, that I needed to ask her to repeat what she said and listen again.  She said, “Mom, you always will get noticed.  Some people like what they see you doing, and some do not like what they see you doing, but no matter what, you will get noticed.”   Have you ever thought about how you are being listened to/noticed?  Enjoy the process of finding out.