The following reflection was given by Jon Lownds at the Hour Farthest Out on May 5, 2022. The HFO Theme for May was “Make Me A Blessing”. Jon resides in Canada.
Sunday, March 13, 2022, a cold, windy day with snow and ice crystals – not a great day for a walk. But it was Lent, the 2nd Sunday. (Sundays are not actually in Lent, so I could have stayed in after services, but chose to honor my Lenten discipline and go for a walk anyway.)
Listening is hard to do — listening to the Lord, listening for directions, listening to others.
Be a blessing. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book “Life Together” said, “…the beginning of love for other Christians is learning to listen to them. …We do God’s work for our brothers and sisters when we learn to listen to them. …listening can be a greater service than speaking.”
But listening is hard to do and I have so much really important stuff to share (tongue in cheek). So when I read further and Bonhoeffer says, “Christians who can no longer listen to one another will soon no longer be listening to God either; they will always be talking even in the presence of God. The death of the spiritual life starts here.”, I am convicted.
I am reminded of a number of things our Lord Jesus had to say about listening. In John 10:27 we hear, “27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” Before this He has said, (John 10:2) “The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’”
Learning to listen and recognize the voice of our Lord, and learning to follow Him takes some careful listening practice (an important element in the CFO Daily Program).
Another passage comes to mind: Matthew 7:21 “‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?” 23 Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.”“ He has never known someone? He must be referring to a different kind of “knowing” — one based on listening and following. For He says those who listen and follow are “known”.
In several places, author, Oswald Chambers warns against working for Jesus rather than with Jesus. As Jesus did only what the Father directed, so He says, Matt. 7:24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.” This explains how one can be engaged in productive ministry — healing, casting out demons, preaching, — and still be condemned. If He didn’t order it, it is evil in His eyes. So, learning to listen for the voice of the shepherd, and to follow, is a significant part of being a blessing. If you want to be a blessing, learn to ask for and listen for direction. Wait for, and follow that direction.
As I said, it was a cold, windy day, miserable for walking, but off I went. As I walked into the wind on the paved and plowed trail, I got the idea of going into the forest — what we call the woodlot — on one of the many trails. So, I asked the Lord, — and yes, that was the plan. So, I asked which trail — the first exit off the paved trail. Off I went — really much nicer in the woods sheltered from the wind, but harder walking on the snow-covered ice. And there are forks on the trail — which to take? So, I asked.
The first and second forks are getting a fair bit of travel and look like easier walking — walking on snow and ice, I wear spiked slip-ons over my boots. Still it is rough underfoot and my feet slip and slide as I walk. So which trail Lord — the third and longest! I am thinking this is wrong, so I ask again. Assured, off I go.
As few have walked this way recently, it is much harder. There are very few footprints in the snow, but there, beside the trail, silver shining in a brief bit of sunshine, is a cell phone lying in the snow. It must have dropped out of a pocket recently as it was not yet snow covered. But I have not seen or heard anyone since I started into the woods. So, I picked it up. Now what? How do I return it to its owner?
Homeward I go. I did encounter some walkers on the way, but none of them lost a phone (I later discovered it was an iPod). When I got home, I called the police. Our police department only handles emergency calls on weekends, so I had to leave a message. Waiting is not my strong suit either! Later, driving my daughter to her work, I told her the story. She wondered if there was a phone number on the device that we could call. There was!
When I pressed the power button some messages came up and there was one from a phone. I called the number and left a message. After a few minutes I got a call back from a man in a neighboring city, ninety minutes away. He said the phone belonged to his brother and he would call him. Moments later I got a call from the brother who was at the hockey rink across the road from where I live! He came right over and identified the iPod as belonging to his 14-year-old son. They had been out walking in the woodlot earlier and he had a fall, but he had not yet missed his iPod. He had no idea he lost it! The father unlocked the device to show it was his, and off he went.
Amazing! I marveled at the speed with which this device was returned to its owner, and how it would have been a very different story if I had not been asking for direction, waiting for direction and following direction.
Listening practice is one of the things I really value about CFO — morning meditation, horizontal meditation, prayer groups — especially in creatives. Learning to listen to the quiet voice of our Lord is essential if we are to be a blessing. Amen.