Baby Emma… I’m just seeing Love in this one 🙂

God did a mighty good thing when He blessed us with the capacity to hear sounds… I can hear the birds chirping and singing in the early morning… my sweet granddaughter Emma laughing… and the joyful, reverberating echo of an “I Love You” as it rattles across my eardrums… just to name a few…

A while back I came up with this theory… The Filter Theory… which basically says our past experiences combined with our heart determine how we will react to a given stimuli. I thought I was pure genius to dream this one up… little did I know that this theory had taken root in an age-old parable in the Bible.

This is mixed in with the parable of the 4 soils… and from the prophecy of Isaiah… reading from Matthew 13, verses 9 through 17…

Jesus said, “He who has ears, let him hear.”
The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in parables:
though seeing, they do not see,
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
In them is filled the prophecy of Isaiah:
You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.”

I’ve learned that sometimes I have to really focus on listening to hear what someone is trying to tell me. Maybe it’s in part my gullibility I don’t know, but I have sadly come to the realization that I’m still learning a lot about people and picking up on the message that is being sent.

Fortunately, it’s not quite so complicated with God’s voice… earnestly seeking God’s will provides a true, deep understanding and perspective.

God’s voice is there for everyone… when we’re ready and open our eyes to see and ears to really listen 🙂

The filter theory… like Jesus’ words… “He who has ears, let him hear” … and really, all the 5 senses… seeing… hearing… touching… smelling… and tasting… I believe this is all a sensory phenomena rooted in the heart…

yep, it all goes back to the heart… and speaking the truth in love…

Here’s a prayer for today…

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anx­ious thoughts. Point out any­thing in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of ever­last­ing life.“
– Psalm 139:23–24