Listening and Seeing

I've been noodling this post for quite some time - even before I was diagnosed with the cholesteatoma and new that I was having those problems. But I'm always amazed at how the Lord can tie all the things in my life together in ways I would never imagine to point out my dependence on Him.

I found this great little book at Lifeway books last month. I was in there looking for a gift for a friend and I ran across this book. I was in the midst of studying for my PMP so I promised it to myeslf as a little treat once I got through that exam. It was actually two books in one by the author Terri Blackstock. I've read a lot of her books and I love them all. The book is called "Miracles" and it is actually the complilation of two small books - "The Listener" and "The Gifted".

"The Listener" is about a man who wakes up one night after an odd dream that depicted the parable of the coin with an exceptional ability to hear people's deepest spiritual needs. He could look at someone and hear what their soul was crying out for. It may not even be something that they consciously knew they needed - but when it was spoken back to them it was like a healing balm. At first he saw this new ability as a curse - he didn't want this responsibility. But his good friend and pastor showed him how to use the information to minister to people. In doing so, he helped to spread a little fire among his wife and his close friends to reach out to those who were hurting (and who of us isn't) and to give them a hope that they may not have known even existed. He was the only one with the supernatural ability, but everyone seemed to catch on with his enthusiasm to help and soon they were all taking that extra step to speak to someone in an effort to show them that someone cared and wanted to help. Not just others here on earth, but also a Heavenly Father who loves them deeply and will never leave them. He kept the supernatural ability for 2 weeks and then just as suddenly as it came - it left. He was devastated and struggled with how could he continue to do God's work if God took the ability away from him. But his friends who never had the ability (and most who didn't even know he had a special ability in the first place) showed him that they had all just stepped out of their comfort zone in an effort to answer a call that was too important to ignore. People's souls and deepest needs were at stake and they owed it to their Lord to get out of their own comfort zone in order to reach those who needed it most.

"The Gifted" starts out with a small group having a bible study in their office after work one evening. During their Bible Study there was a horrific earthquake and they found themselves trapped in the rubble of their building. One man's legs were crushed and he was unable to move them. Another man's lungs were seared with smoke from a fire. And one woman's eyes were blinded from flying shrapnel during the cave in. They were rescued from their building and found themselves in the hospital with all the other people who were injured by the devestating earthquake. None of their injuries were so urgent that they warranted immediate surgery as the doctors were having to triage the immense amount of injuries coming in from the earthquake. When each of them woke up in the morning they found themselves completely healed. But not only healed - supernaturally healed. The one with his legs crushed found himself running to people he didn't know - for reasons he didn't know. The one with his lungs seared was normally a very quiet and shy person woke up with this need to tell anyone and everyone about what the scriptures had to say about their worth to the Lord. The woman who's sight had been taken found that when she looked at certain people in the eye she would get a vision into their past that told her what they were struggling with.

When the three of them re-unite shortly after being released from the hospital they find that when they combine their gifts they are able to reach so many people. The one with the legs that won't stop and he doesn't know why can lead them to people. The woman with the visions can tell them what she sees, and the man who can't stop talking then knows what to talk to them about and how to frame his discussion - what Scriptures to use, etc... They are a dream evangelism team.

But much like "The Listener", they suddenly loose the gifts that they were given and wonder what will happen to their ministry without their gifts.

So these stories really spoke to me. Wow! To be able to SEE or to HEAR what people's greatest spiritual needs are - to be able to say the right thing at the right time. To be able to show the love of God for His people in such a meaningful way! But the question that is really begged in this book is - why don't we do it anyway? Do we really need a supernatural gift to reach out to the people that need him most? Do we need to know someone's deepest spiritual need in order to meet it? Because the bottom line is that each person's deepsest spiritual need can only be met by God anyway. His love covers all - no matter what the issue - His love for you is enough. It is His people here on earth who are tasked with conveying that message. And let's face it - we suck at it! I know I do.

And so it got me to thinking that I need to Listen better. I need to stop being so judgemental about various people I know or even meet in my day to day interactions. I don't know what they're going through that may make them act that way. But the fact is ... I do know what God can do for them - what Jesus HAS done for them. And I believe that I am His hands and feet - here to speak of that love in a way that only I can. So I need to just get over myself - because it's not about me - and be a better vessel for The Saviour. It often sounds trite, but I don't want people to see Pam when they look at me - I want them to see Jesus.

So how does this tie in to what I'm going through myself? Be a better Listener - as I am being forced to recognize the risk that I have of losing my hearing in my left ear all together. Really, God? Ironic much? So I see it - not so much about my physical act of hearing as it is my spiritual act of worship in everything I do - leaving myself so open to the Lord that "hearing" someone's spiritual needs becomes second nature because I'm listening with His ears - not my own. OK - that makes me all verklempt.

And people looking at me and not seeing Pam - but my Lord. More and more people don't recognize me when they see me. It literally happened to me 4 times today. It's OK if they don't see the old Pam - but they really need to see Jesus - and what am I doing to ensure that they do?

And what about the times that we as Christians DO hear and see a person's deepest physical and spiritual needs and DO NOTHING? I know that I myself have been guilty of this. It breaks my heart that I would waste an opportunity to show love in the way that I have experienced it myself. And I have to admit that this point has been sticking in my craw an awful lot lately because I have experienced this in my own family - specifically in the past year at times that were excruciatingly crucial times for not only physical but spiritual needs to be met. I know that people in my own church were aware of specific physical and spiritual needs of people in their own church and no one called, no one stopped by, no one made an effort of any kind to reach out to one in their own flock who so desperately needed it. Why do we expect anyone outside of the church to have any kind of respect for us and what we have to say when we can't even effectively minister to our own. Why would they let us minister to them? We can't even minister to those within our own congregations that we may not understand or be comfortable with their spiritual need. Wake up! We don't have to have to have all of the answers - we have the only one they need - one and only one. Wake up! Just because you're "born again" doesn't mean you won't have spiritual struggles! If anything - those struggles suddenly become more pronounced. I know it can be uncomfortable. I know it isn't easy, but the cost of doing nothing is too high. It has to stop.

OK - so that is my soapbox for the day. It feels cathartic to get it out. Thanks for sticking with me on that one. I hope I didn't sound too preachy. If I did - maybe it was needed?