Sins of Our Fathers | Author Blog

Do we live a life of listening? Or do we bug the Father with our incessant wants?

It is my experience that a maturing Christian at some point is brought up short by the Lord and will blurt out, “What did You say?!”

It’s at that stage that the believer will begin to shut up – on occasion – and listen for the Father.

This listening is not inherent in most of us who claim to be human. Yes, there are some who make this act look easy, but for the rest of us it is an active exercise which tries us.

I was reminded of this in my life yesterday on the way back from a trip to the bank (I wish I could make a few more of those trips).

Doing forty down the road and pretty much with my mind on the next “to-do-list” item, I spotted a man carrying a large tire (rim included) on his back. Now this is Central Florida, mid June, on a sidewalk shaded by power lines. I blew past when the thought popped into my cranium, “Maybe you should turn around and give that guy a lift.”

In the space of a couple of blocks I questioned whether I was hearing from God and had argued with myself on all the reasons not to turn around.

So, I turned around.

I figured if I was arguing with myself so much that I had better turn around and see if I could help this guy.

I moved my wallet from the center console (one can never be too careful) and began looking for the sidewalk-tire-guy. In a matter of moments I spotted him in a parking lot wheeling his tire toward a truck where another dude waited. Given what I saw, it looked like the tire was for the truck.

My services weren’t needed after all I guess.

The question, of course, remains, did I hear from the Lord or not?

Last night the thought popped into my head to offer my services to the apartment complex across from my church and cut up and get rid of the dead tree which fell in their back parking lot. I wondered if that thought was from the Lord too. After all, He knows I could use the another trip to the bank, so I said to the Lord, “If that’s what You want of me then make it clear.”

This morning when I got up and outside I heard the distinct sound of a chainsaw. I guess that’s a pretty clear sign. It seems the complex’s lawn folk were on the job.

So am I listening for the Lord? I hope so. That first incident, though it didn’t work out the way one might expect. I believe is the Lord saying to me, “Hey, Hal, I was just wondering if you were listening for Me.” And if I am listening am I willing to react accordingly.

Recently I watched a man of God prepare a horse that had never been ridden by teaching it to listen to his voice and to trust in him. That is how the Lord works with us I believe. We are to be submissive and attentive to His will.

The tree incident I think is a further trial of the Lord where He again proves Himself by my desire to listen and seek His will. And above all be accepting of His will in my life.

Well, those are some thoughts today from me to you.

They remind me of the main character in Sins of Our Fathers, in that Grayson, a man of God, refuses to talk to God. And though he hears from the Father, he sees no point in reacting to what he hears.

A big conflict for anyone. A condition the Lord will not stand for if you are His.

Phew… I had been putting off doing the needed upgrade to the WordPress Blog software.

Not that it’s all that hard of a thing to do, but it always makes me nervous, and it does take a little time.

Of course, because I was putting it off, I also – in my writer’s mind – used that as an excuse not to post any updates here.

So the upgrade is done. If anyone is reading this and happens to find a bug or quirk, let me know.

That said, I guess I need to come up with some words to post now.