Listening...

Listening...

A man asked his wife what she'd like for her birthday. 'I'd love to be eight again' she replied. On the morning of her birthday, he arose early and made her a bowl of Coco Pops and milk!

He took her to Busch Gardens and put her on every ride in the park.
Five hours later she staggered out of the theme park. Her head was
reeling and her stomach felt upside down.

Right away they journeyed to a McDonalds where her loving husband ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a refreshing chocolate milk shake. Then it was off to the movies: the latest children’s three hour cartoon show, a hot dog, popcorn, all the Coke she could drink, her favorite lollipop and M&Ms. What a fabulous adventure!

Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed onto the bed exhausted. He leaned over his precious wife with a big smile and
lovingly asked 'Well dear, what was it like being eight again?' Her eyes
slowly opened and her expression changed to one of total
realization...'I meant my dress size, silly!

The moral of this story:
Even when one is listening, we can still get it wrong

These past couple weeks the Pastor has been sharing on Parenting. Boy, did I need to hear this. It hurt so well! Sometimes, I think our Senior Pastor sends out these investigators to see what I need correction in. Of course this isn’t the truth, but he does have an inside connection… God!!!

Which brings me to this weeks inside job, our inside connection. When I was first saved and water baptized in Christ, my thoughts were on my invincibility. Nothing seemed to faze me; nothing seemed to need correction; I not only read my bible everyday but many times a day. I prayed whenever I thought about my faith. I fervently researched the word and it’s truths.
2 Tim 2:15 (KJV) “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Yes, that was my theme verse, I wanted to be approved by researching the word of truth. I continued in this manner for a few years walking with my head held high thinking nothing could harm me. I should have studied Ephesians 6 a little closer, you think?
I was knocked down off my horse, and I saw it coming. At the time I was sharing a Townhouse with another Christian Man and great friend. Within our study group, there was a married lady, will call her Ann, attended regularly without her husband. It was a mixed group and we all had our specific prayer partners, mine being my roommate.
Not long after our group had left for the evening, Ann called and I had answered the phone. Seems her husband was taken to Jail for abusing her which she stated was the actual fact. She was in the hospital being taken care of and would be released soon. She was hoping her prayer partner hadn’t left the house yet since she couldn’t reach her on the phone.
To make a long story short, I got a hold of her partner and we both went and picked her up. My first mistake was allowing her to stay in my home for fear her husband would get out of jail quickly. I know… I didn’t think it through. Even still, everything went fine and she went to work the next day.
She worked as an Operator for a Live Phone Answering company and she worked the second shift. She stayed with us for a week when one night she called the house and said her car wouldn’t start, and could I give her a ride home. This is where the 2nd and biggest mistake began.
It’s often been stated that God may speak to us in a “still, small, voice”. God spoke to me concerning picking her up from work and it wasn’t a still small voice. He spoke loudly to me… not to go! If anybody else was in the house with me, anywhere in the house; they would have heard it too. I wouldn’t be surprised if the neighbors on the next block had heard it.
Did I listen… nope. Call it ignorance; selective hearing; I had a one track mind. I was determined to help my friend. I got into my car and it wouldn’t start, so I had the neighbor give me a jump start. Curious enough, I had never had a starting problem with this car before.
Upon getting to her employment place, I sat and waited for her outside. There are a couple things that may be helpful in understanding this situation. Where she works was a high security area, I wasn’t allowed inside the building. The building was positioned in the back of a Business Park which sat next to a wooded park.
As I sat in my car, I noticed movement to my right. That is just before he broke my driver side window. He had a coat hanger straightened out that he wrapped around my neck and attempted to pull me from the car, through the window. It was my quick reaction that I was able to insert my hand between the coat hanger and my throat.
When he realized he couldn’t pull me out, he took a stick that he had sharpened to a point and attempted to gouge my neck with it. Apparently the stick was to dry and broke in the process. This seemed to infuriate this person and he grabbed me by the shoulders and finally managed to pull me out the window.
Recognition finally came to me as I saw that it was Ann’s husband. Apparently he had finally been released and he came looking for her. This is also when I found out her husband was a trained Martial Artist. As he punched and kicked me repeatedly, besides attempting to defend myself, I prayed. (This is probably a good place to tell you that I wasn’t trained in martial arts. Where was Mr. Miyagi when you need him?)
God did answer my prayer, and 5 minutes before the Police arrived, he stopped beating on me. He picked me up off the ground, set me down on the curb, and then sat and talked to me. His wife had seen the commotion and called 911.
As the Police arrived, they took one look at me, called for an ambulance and arrested him. In the ambulance, the only thing I remember is the Medical person asked me what I did to warrant such a beating. I believe I said, “I didn’t listen to God!”
There is more to this God story but I think you get the picture. Even though God told me not to go, he was still there for me. I’m not sure what would have happened if I listened but I do know what happened when I didn’t.
(For the LORD thy God is a merciful God ;) he will not forsake thee, nor destroy thee…
Deut 4:31 (KJV)
All this happened 25 years ago and to say it didn’t change my life would be nothing more than exaggeration. I still have the same excitement/passion that I had back then but I also learned a very valuable lesson. I was thinking of myself during this time, trying to perfect my spirituality, like that could be achieved.

I would say the experience opened my eyes to listening to the Lord more effectively. There is no moral to the story, morals are man’s idea. I will say this though; God is with you always, even when we don’t listen. When we listen with full awareness in the moment, the quality of listening becomes a quality of loving. And when we listen to God, or more specifically, listen to God’s will for us, we can cultivate a more satisfying and loving experience of life.

Can you remember a time when God was there for you even when you didn’t listen?