March 29, 2006

[Rev. Doc]

Missing Out On What's Important

"He who has ears, let him hear."
Matthew 13:9

Many times we go through life wanting to listen to and hear only what we want. We might consider everything else as idle chatter. If so, we might miss some important information

Professional golfer Tommy Bolt was playing in Los Angeles and had a caddy with a reputation of constant chatter. Before they teed off, Bolt told him, "Don't say a word to me. And if I ask you something, just answer yes or no."

During the round, Bolt found the ball next to a tree, where he had to hit under a branch, over a lake and onto the green. He got down on his knees and looked through the trees and sized up the shot.

"What do you think?" he asked the caddy. "Five-iron?"

"No, Mr. Bolt," the caddy said.

"What do you mean, not a five-iron?" Bolt snorted. "Watch this shot."

The caddy rolled his eyes. "No-o-o, Mr. Bolt."

But Bolt hit it and the ball stopped about two feet from the hole. He turned to his caddy, handed him the five-iron and said, "Now what do you think about that? You can talk now."

"Mr. Bolt," the caddy said, "that wasn't your ball."

Prayer: Ask God to help you stay in tune to what people are saying around you.

"Good listening is like tuning in a radio station. For good results, you can listen to only one station at a time. Trying to listen to my wife while looking over an office report is like trying to receive two radio stations at the same time. I end up with distortion and frustration. Listening requires a choice of where I place my attention. To tune into my partner, I must first choose to put away all that will divide my attention. That might mean laying down the newspaper, moving away from the dishes in the sink, putting down the book I'm reading, setting aside my projects."
~Robert W. Herron

[Saint Kevin]

Guilty. I did that today actually, in class, and made a fool of myself. I've got a long way to go to develop my listening skills (and simply a general awareness of most things sensory). Thanks for the reminder.