Last week I wrote a post about the most overrated church comment: ”I want to go deeper”, and BOY did it spark some conversation! Some people agreed whole heartedly with my thoughts and others didn’t. That’s a good thing because the world would be terribly boring if everyone agreed with me about everything.
One person left a comment, but I didn’t allow it to post because he (or she) posted it under the alias “Seymore Butts”. This person railed on me for not believing in Bible Study and suggested that I had shallow theology. Well, I’m sorry “Seymore”, but it seems to me that you didn’t read my entire post. In the post, I affirmed Bible Study. Furthermore, I personally believe in understanding God’s Word with such conviction that I have two degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Institutions. Southern Baptists are known for being “people of God’s Word”.
The point of my post today, though, isn’t to defend myself. The point is to demonstrate how blind we can be when we read or hear something we initially disagree with. ”Seymore” was so indignant about my post that he didn’t hear the message that was intended. Rather he heard what he wanted to hear. ”Seymore” seemed to be looking for a fight, so he heard me communicate something that I simply didn’t communicate.
All of us are guilty of this. Especially myself. When I hear something political on the TV that sounds like a position I don’t embrace, I get pretty fired up. The result is that I don’t hear what’s being said. Instead, I hear what I want to hear. In my daily conversations I too often catch myself thinking about what I’m going to say to someone rather than listening to what they are saying. The result: I hear what I want to hear. I do this when reading blogs as well. I think about how I’m going to respond before I’m even done reading. How arrogant.
Patient listening is a skill that I’m working on in my own life. Lord knows, I’ve got a long way to go. It’s a skill that all of us should work on because it will make relationships work much more smoothly.
By the way, “Seymore Butts” is a famous pornographic film director. I’m guessing that the real Seymore wouldn’t be on my blog arguing in defense of the Bible. However, if that was the real Mr. Butts, I’m glad you’re reading this blog and I pray that God uses it to change your life.
