Are We Listening?

“Teacher?,” a gentle tug accompanied the words. 

“Yes?” I answered looking down to see one of my kindergarten students, ready to see what they needed.

“Teacher?.” The steady tug on my shirt continued.

“Yes?” I responded again, noticing the student looking around the room rather than up at me. 

“Teacher?” 

The back and forth continued until I finally knelt down and looked in the student’s face. “Lindsay, I have been answering you since the very first time you called me. But you haven’t listened or watched to see me looking at you. What do you need, sweet girl.” 

I’d like to say this was an isolated experience with one student, but it actually occurred fairly often.

It makes me wonder how many times I’ve done the same to God. How many times have I tugged on Him, saying, “God?,” while my focus remains on everything around me espcially whatever I’m fussing about. 

Does He need to kneel down and look me in the face before He gently takes my face in His hands and says, “Karen, I have been answering you since you first started asking, but you have not been looking at me. You are too busy fussing and looking at everything else.” 

When older students I taught over the years sought my attention they looked me in the eye until I answered. They knew exactly what they wanted and expected a response to the issue at hand. They didn’t always like the answer, but they waited for it. They didn’t get distracted by other things during that wait. 

I love that we can learn from our students. Which ones do we want to be like? The kindergarteners? Or the older students? 

Next time we say, “God?” Let’s choose to be like the older students. Le’ts keep our eyes on HIm while we wait for His response. We may be surprised at how quickly we hear Him, even if we don’t like His answer. 

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:3