If Your Mind is Weary, Consider Who You Are Listening To
This is me talking while my husband is trying to take my photo, aka the story of our lives.
I don’t have the best hearing. In conversations I often want to turn the other person’s volume knob up a notch for a little more clarity. When wearing masks, I have been known to nod my head politely while absorbing zero real information. (I can’t be the only one.)
My husband is a low talker. His voice is kind of soft and he doesn’t enunciate much.
We joke about our later years and how he will be shouting at me and I will be saying “huh?” all the time. It’s either a really frustrating or a hilarious incompatibility.
The Ease of Speaking Instead of Listening
As a talkative person and a writer, I place a lot of value on output. Speaking is easy. Listening is harder.
But God has been speaking to me lately about being quiet. About listening well. About guarding my heart. They haven’t been my favorite conversations honestly. But I know they’re necessary.
I have realized that I could very easily spend my whole life doing the following:
Regurgitating whatever thoughts are on my mind without ever receiving from God what I need to grow
Listening incessantly to the voices of others - to misinformation, negativity, and fear-provoking words - instead of to truth
Allowing the enemy to control my thoughts and emotions so that I stay out of sorts and unfocused
Keeping my mind occupied instead of making space for quiet so that I can rest and hear from God
Why Our Minds Grow Weary
Have you struggled with any of these? I know I have. Each one steals rest from us. The more God’s voice is displaced from the center of our lives, the more we are thrown into chaos or apathy.
This tremendous battle for our souls is happening between our ears. Our minds are precious real estate that we have to both guard and nurture.
Especially with the glut of information we have access to and the myriad of world crises begging for our attention, our minds can grow so weary.
God knows all of these things, cares for them, and wants us to care for them too, but when we spend time listening to Him we never feel worn out or burdened. We feel lighter, refreshed, encouraged.
Choosing Who to Listen to
If you’ve been feeling mentally weary, confused, or worried, here is a question for you.
Who are you listening to?
Are you listening to your own thoughts spinning like a record player without any real guidance? Are you often listening to other people or to media? Are you listening to lies from the enemy that do nothing but make you feel defeated?
Choosing your source of information is just as important as becoming a good listener.
I want to be the person from Proverbs 2:1-5 who hears well and receives God’s wisdom instead of worldly wisdom.
“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
How to Move Forward with Listening Well
As you go about your week, especially if catch yourself feeling overly negative or down, stop and think about what thoughts are playing in your mind. Thinking about who you have been listening to and whether that source of information is worthy of your time and aligns with God’s truth.
If not, it might be time to make some changes.