Listen (Saturday, March 16th)

Saturday, March 16th

Listen: to pay attention to sound; to hear something with thoughtful attention; to be alert to catch an expected sound

Mark 9:7

Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!”

In his too-short life and our too few times together, my cousin Glen taught all of his cousins so much about life and love. Some would say he was different from the rest of us, but we all found his differences beautiful. He delighted in all of the simple joys of life. His gentle spirit would become quite competitive each time he won his favorite card game. He genuinely loved and adored each of us, and we loved him.

We marveled most at his uncanny ability to hear the music of an ice cream truck. As we were running and playing and laughing and shouting together in the yard, Glen would suddenly stop, alert and attentive. Wondering why, we would pause our activity and he would announce, “Ice cream truck!” Sure enough- once we were quiet and still- we could hear the faint music in the next neighborhood as the ice cream truck wended its way toward our street. The refreshing treats were on their way!

Looking back, I now realize that Glen’s hearing was probably no better than ours. His excitement about the ice cream truck made him attentive, expectant, hopeful and ready to listen at any moment, no matter what would be going on around him. He did not need silence. The joy of the ice cream truck music would beckon from afar, and Glen would be ready to hear it. His ears were trained and attuned to the simple music that signaled the arrival of delightful treats.

Oh, may we be so excited to hear the voice of Christ that we too, are attentive, expectant, hopeful and ready! May we be so attuned to Jesus’ voice that we recognize it even in the midst of our chaos and noise. May we be so alert that we are able to hear his faint whisper from afar. In the midst of our everyday routines may we await and anticipate his beautiful word with eagerness. Most of all, may we rejoice each time we hear his word, for we know it is bringing us pure refreshment and joy.

(I know Glen recognized the voice of Christ, too. I know that he heard Jesus’ voice in all of his days, and now is spending eternity directly in his presence.)

All definitions are excerpted from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/

Photo credit: Aaron Burden on Unsplash