Do You Have Ears to Hear Only What You Want to Hear?

We’ve all experienced people in our lives who don’t have ears to hear our message to them or even God’s. They close their ears to what we or God have to say to them, especially when it is uncomfortable and even when the intention of the message is for their good. 

As a leader, spiritual director, friend, mentor, and coach, I see this situation fairly frequently. I always want the people I serve to thrive and believe God gives me insights about those people to help them grow in the directions they want and need to grow.

There are some who have ears to hear whatever message is given to them and use it to change, there are some who hear it and do nothing or very little with it, and there are others who just have ears to hear what they want to hear and get defensive or resistant.  In my roles, I often can’t help those who want to hear what they want to hear until their ears are opened and healed, like Jesus does in today’s Gospel.

Did you ever notice that most of the time the people resistant to our message are people close to us? Family members, colleagues, friends, family, or neighbors? We can often be the same way - resistant to their message. Deafness is real.

Often, they know us best because they share life with us most closely. They see and experience our good and bad qualities. They are often the recipients of the behaviors that are or are not working. How often have we dismissed or been resistant to a message they were giving us pretty quickly before really thinking about it or reflecting on it? Instead, we should be open to their perspectives. Remember, how others experience us is a truth about how we really show up.

God give us people in our lives to sometimes speak hard messages to us, but they are often messages we need to hear for our growth and reveal our blind spots. If we’re resistant to it, we need to ask ourselves, what is the block on my ears and/or heart that is resisting this message? Then, have an open dialogue about it with the person and with God. 

God, why am I resistant to this message? Why are my ears not open to hearing it? What is the block on my heart that is present? Am I too wrapped up in what I want to hear?

Today’s Gospel calls us to recognize when our ears need to be opened to God’s Word or the words of others speaking God’s truth to us.