Listening for Spiritual Truth

It is so very, very easy to become distracted in our culture today.  We often spend much of our time going back and forth to activities for our children (or grandchildren).  We spend time trying to keep up with the Joneses, keeping our house clean, trying to be a good employee.  It is no wonder that many of us don't have much time leftover to delve into spiritual things or Biblical truth.  In fact, I think it is much easier to come home after a long day and drop into bed exhausted, relieved just to be home. 

 I will always remember one evening in particular; a memory that stuck out in my mind so much that I enjoy recounting the story to this day.  I was at a function organized for some of the children in the community out at the local country club.  It was set up in order recognize achievement - and they always had a free meal.  Parents would bring with them loads of food ... lot's of good stuff and plenty of desserts.  This particular evening was no different, there were tables of treats as far as the eye could see.

It was also not uncommon at these events for the parents and caretakers of the children to be distracted for short periods of time, often helping with the food and the event itself.  Out of the corner of my eye I noticed one young child walking back to his assigned table with a full plate and a beverage.  This is normal at a banquet of course, but as I took a closer look, I noticed that his plate was stacked high with donuts, brownies, and cookies.  I had to sit down because I started laughing so hard.  It was evident that mom and dad were not paying close attention.  The young man saw his chance at freedom, and loaded his plate accordingly with whatever he wanted.  I can't imagine the sugar rush that must have transpired shortly after he sat down to eat!

As we all know, donuts and brownies taste good, but they aren't good for us.  Quite the opposite in fact.  The trade-off for our momentary joy is usually a feeling of fatigue that soon kicks in, and another four-hundred or so calories that stick to our bodies.  The rush is short lived - not to mention the feeling of guilt that rears its ugly head later.

And I believe it can happen just the same way when we turn the discussion toward spiritual things.  When we are tired or distracted, it is easy for the bad things to sneak onto our plates.  It is easy to put God and the Bible fairly low in our daily hierarchy, isn't it?  After all, many of us are on the go from the moment we get out of bed to the time we cash it in for the night.  It is only natural that our plates are full of junk food.  We've no time for anything else.

We load up with a quick bit of political correctness here, maybe a dab of lukewarm spirituality there.  But nothing that will give our souls the protein we need in order to stay healthy and fit.  Instead, we often load our plates with things that give us a quick rush of satisfaction, followed by fatigue and unnecessary calories.

The Gospel of Luke relates an interesting story about how to love our enemies.  At first glance, one might consider this parable unrelated to our discussion about spiritual distraction ... but hang in there with me a bit longer and I think you will see what I am getting at.  Luke 6:27-28 says, "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."   

Now this is good advice on it's own, but notice the first sentence.  Jesus prefaces his teaching by saying, "But to you who are listening..."   What a strange thing to say.  But the statement makes an impact nonetheless.  Are we really listening?  Do we take the time to hear God's voice in the midst of our busy lives?  When we look at our dinner plate, do we see donuts and soda or vegetables and water?  Do we even really look at our food at all, or are we just gulping it down to save time?

I think it is an important question to ask, and it is a good idea to ask it of ourselves at every step throughout our lives.  Are we listening?  We have only a short time here on this planet.  Are we filling that time with spiritual truths from God, or with worldly wisdom that sounds good at the time, but doesn't really keep us full?

Author and philosopher C.S. Lewis once wrote that human beings are built to run only on God, and nothing else.  He goes on to say further, that all of human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.  There is a lot of truth to this statement, especially when we see so many people settling for plates full of pseudo-spirituality and half truths.  

So what is the answer to this dilemma?  I believe the solution is literally at our fingertips, recorded in the actions and words of Jesus.  God has generously related them to us in the pages of the Bible.  We must keep digging in to what Christ said and did.  We must bring our full intellect - with all of our doubt and certainty, joys and struggles - to our understanding of Scripture.  Watching CNN won't get us there.  Reading and studying only secular writings and philosophy isn't enough either.  We must begin to fill our dinner plate with the right food, and the sooner the better.  With the correct spiritual diet, I am betting the distractions will slow down.  Maybe they will even change over from a loud roar for our attention, to a small trickle as we begin to allow God into our busy lives.

I wonder about that little boy and his heaping plate of donuts and cookies from time to time.  It brings a smile to my face whenever I think about it.  I am sure that at some point, mom and dad probably noticed what had happened.  They most likely took it upon themselves to admonish and correct the young man.  If we are lucky, God will do the same for us.  It is no good sitting down to a meal with the wrong type of food.  Fortunately for you and I however, there is usually a grocery store with a fresh produce section just around the corner.  If we listen to our bodies closely enough, we will know when it's time to change our diet.  That time is probably as soon as possible.   



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