My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow
me. (John 10:27-28)
A Native American and his friend were in downtown New
York City, walking near Times Square in Manhattan.
It was
during the noon lunch hour and the streets were filled with
people. Cars were
honking their horns, taxicabs were
squealing around corners, sirens were wailing, and the
sounds of the city were almost deafening.
Suddenly, the Native American said, “I hear a cricket.”
His friend said, “What? You
must be crazy. You couldn’t
possibly hear a cricket in all of this noise!” “No, I’m sure
of
it,” the Native
American said, “I heard a cricket.” That’s
crazy,” said the friend.
The Native American listened carefully for a moment, and
then walked across the street to a big cement planter
where some shrubs were growing.
He looked into the
bushes, beneath the branches, and sure enough, he located
a small cricket. His
friend was utterly amazed.
“That’s incredible,” said his friend. “You must have
superhuman ears!” “No,”
said the Native American. “My
ears are no different from yours. It all depends on what
you’re listening for.” “But
that can’t be!” said the friend. “I
could never hear a cricket in this noise.”
“Yes, it’s true,”
came the reply. “It
depends on what is really important to
you.
Here, let me show you.” He
reached into his pocket, pulled
out a few coins, and discreetly dropped them on the
sidewalk. And then,
with the noise of the crowded street
still blaring in their ears, they noticed every head within
twenty feet turn and look to see if the money that tinkled
on the pavement was theirs.
“See what I mean?” asked the Native American.
“It all
depends on what’s important to you.”
What’s important to you? What
do you listen for?
Some people say that there is no God, and that He never
speaks to us anymore. But
perhaps they can’t see or hear
Him because they aren’t listening for Him
They are living
for themselves, not for God.
If you are in tune with God,
you will be able to notice Him at work in your life an in the
world. And you’ll
be able to hear Him when He speaks.
--Author Unknown--
