Selective Hearing
September 4, 2009

Did you ever meet someone with selective hearing? You know, the person who can’t hear until you say something you don’t want them to hear, or they only hear the part of the conversation that either matters to them or gives them permission to do something that is questionable? My grandpa had selective hearing; he heard what he wanted to hear and conveniently did not hear what he didn’t want to hear. It was frustrating for the communicator.

I believe we live in a culture of selective hearing. Or we live in a culture that has come to the conclusion that rules don’t apply to them and especially if they can claim ignorance, i.e. “I didn’t hear you!”, as though that makes them unaccountable. Better yet, what if they can change what they hear into what they want it to say? Cultural shifts happen this way. For example: men and women don’t live together before they get married; men and women really shouldn’t live together before they get married; men and women can live together before they get married; men and women do live together before they get married; it is wise for men and women to live together before they get married. How do we move from a “don’t” to a cultural norm?

It happens one word at a time. It happens by not paying attention to what is happening. It happens with selective hearing and worldly wisdom. In Galatians 6, the apostle Paul reminds us of an indisputable fact of life, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” We run into trouble when we think this universal principle does not apply to us. What we sow out of our hearts ultimately reaps a harvest in our lives.

Selfishness reaps – alone
Selflessness reaps- friends
Fear reaps – anxiety
Secure reaps – peace
Materialism reaps – disillusioned
Gospel reaps – eternal reward

Worldly wisdom says look out for yourself. Godly wisdom says let God be your defender.
Worldly wisdom says get whatever you can out of this world. Godly wisdom says give your life away.
Worldly wisdom says this world is all there is. Godly wisdom says store up your riches in heaven.

Who are we listening to? How do you know who you are listening to? Do you embrace worldly wisdom and shun godly wisdom? Do you have selective hearing? Do you sort through godly wisdom and keep what sounds good and throw out what doesn’t “feel” right? Do you compare godly wisdom with worldly wisdom? Take which one sounds better?

This is where the heart gets in the way. Has your heart ever gotten in the way of godly wisdom? We live out of the overflow of our hearts and our hearts often give us selective hearing.