Whoever

Matthew 11:15 Whoever has ears, let them hear.

What a funny statement.  We’ve all got ears.  But evidently, it’s possible to have hearing ears and not hear.

The dictionary defines hear as “to perceive with the ear the sound made by…”

Last weekend, my granddaughter Ayla (almost 2) was walking away from us, as we were getting ready to leave. Her mom, and my husband, and myself, all called to her to turn around and come to us.  She never looked, never acknowledged her name, and she kept on walking.  My husband had to run and get her, pick her up, and carry her to the car.

She has ears.  She could hear all of us.  But she didn’t perceive the urgency or the authority behind the ones who were calling her. That will come with training, discipline, and perhaps a failure or two.

Jesus has given us ears.  But we too sometimes keep walking the other way when he’s calling our name, because we don’t perceive his goodness and love when he calls.  We worry that he’s going to punish us, have harsh words for us, or lead us up a much too steep mountain where we might fall.  So we just keep walking away…

It would be better for us if we just listen, turn around, and walk into his arms.

Ayla will learn that it is better to obey than to suffer the consequences, as her parents train her to really hear and listen.

Imagine what would have happened had her loving grandfather not gone to rescue her, pick her up (even if she screamed) and brought her back to where she belonged?

Jesus loves us more than our earthly fathers…and grandfathers…and he’s calling.