New Heals, Half Soles... and a Hearing Ear!

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When I was a kid growing up in the late 50’s and early 60’s, my parents would buy me a new pair of shoes when I needed them, not when I wanted them. My feet had grown to almost adult size early on, so it was expected that I would wear a pair of shoes for at least a year or longer. I remember vividly how my shoes would disappear for about a week in early August, returning before the start of school with new heals and half-soles. All shined up with new laces.... good as new. I was also destined to wear the same jeans if they fit... patching holes in the knees was no problem for my Mom. I didn’t seem to mind the patches as most other guys I went to school with wore the same kind of patched jeans and didn’t complain, at least not that any of us noticed. We certainly didn’t gather at recess in the school yard and complain about wearing patched jeans and last years shoes. Pretty much my entire wardrobe, which would fit in two dresser drawers, was good for another year if I hadn’t managed to totally destroy some wearable item.

Then... as if someone had flipped a switch.... with a new school year approaching, I descended into full blown rebellion at the idea of wearing “last years” clothes, shoes... anything! This was not a small rebellion here folks... it was the fit of the century! All my pals were doing the same thing. We all wanted the latest styles, new looks, new shoes and a pair of sneakers for everyday wear. Wearing patched jeans... are you nuts Mom... no one wears patched jeans anymore!

Times were changing and I wanted to change right along with the times, and didn’t care what it cost or who had to pay the bill! Being “cool”... that was the thing! I was a teenager in the mid-60’s and America was picking up speed. Our great society and culture was on the verge of plunging headlong into the age of conspicuous consumption, unbridled excess, unlimited indulgences and self-gratification. Money was flowing, capitalism was king and everyone wanted to capture their piece of the great American dream. The 70’s taught us how, the 80’s perfected the art, and the 90’s made excesses and self-gratification seem like normal acceptable everyday behavior. After all, this was the beginnings of the American dream being lived to the fullest.

Now, here we are in the year 2009, and things have changed. Things aren’t so good, and could get a lot worse before they get better and will likely never be the way they once were. The country's economic situation is affecting how we live and how many of us will have to live in retirement... if that prospect even exists. People are taking fewer vacations, looking for sales and putting off large purchases.

Society is heading toward a major shift, there is no guessing where it is going to take us. We just know it’s not going to be like it was. To many of us are unprepared to deal with the enormity of the new reality heading our way. We’ve carried the weight of meaningless things and have fallen victim to an insatiable appetite for things of fleeting worth and value.

But then again, maybe you have recognized the future and you’re adapting. Maybe you loved shopping.... but now you get more pleasure out of paying off a credit card than maxing one out. Maybe you are reengaging with old hobbies, simple things, and you actually make the time to pursue them now.

Job losses have been devastating on many Americans. But maybe there’s a valuable unintended consequence of job loss. Families are growing closer, reconnecting, and the not-so-young-anymore-kids-now-adults, are moving home with their kids living with Dad and Mom to make ends meet. Maybe they lost their house and job. For some, this is most certainly humbling and embarrassing, but it has made many realize how little time families spent together during the “decades of decadence".

We’ve also seen tragic events. Lives wiped out in anger, frustration and bitterness as stark realization sets in, that the America dream has failed to satisfy many. Greed has taken an awful toll on many many lives. So, what about the future? Once our country recovers from this recession, will we go back to the way we were? Will we want to go back? Living simply now may be our refuge from the drowning weight of excesses, but will we be satisfied with a simpler America in the future?

We have to accept that our nation has had a massive heart attack! Fortunately she will survive. But like all heart attacks, they serve as a warning that changes must be made. Lifestyle changes. Lasting changes to ensure that life can and will go on.

What an incredible time of opportunity! Just suppose.... that without the din of consumerism, spending beyond our means and pursuits of meaningless excesses... Americans might be more tuned to “hear” the word of God?

A simpler, less hectic, less pressured lifestyle leaves time for humans to think, to ponder, to reflect and to consider what all of this life really means. Remember, inside every human is the longing and desire to connect with the divine.... to contemplate something better than our fleeting life span.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture in all the Bible is... "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear".

In the Gospels, Jesus cried out time and time again: "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear" (Matthew 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9,23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35). And in Revelation 13:9, as the New Testament draws to a close, we read it again..... "If anyone has an ear, let him hear."

People don’t hear too well when they’re distracted. Distractions can come in many forms... hunger, poverty, violent surroundings, and of course the lures of materialism, excesses and self-indulgence as it has been for decades in America. When the mind is occupied by personal needs, wants and desires.... everything else drowns out.... especially God.

America claims to be a nation of Christians, even though one can hardly compare the beliefs of this generation with what the Bible teaches.

Americans are increasingly comfortable picking and choosing theological views they deem to be helpful in endorsing their lifestyle of choice and are quite comfortable discarding the rest of the Bible’s teachings. Still, most people say their faith is becoming increasingly important as a source of personal moral guidance.

But maybe now with all the encroaching change, this nation of so-called Christians will begin to listen... to hear what the living God is saying.

It may sound cliché, but there is no time like now, to rediscover the true meaning of what it means to call yourself a Christian. Remember, it’s not about us anymore... the party is over. If you are concerned about your future.... then you should reflect on that which Jesus Christ has bought and paid for.... you.

How important can “hearing” really be? When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, God the Father spoke from heaven: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, Hear Him!" (Matthew 17:5).

Not everyone will give a hearing ear no matter what happens in their life. Jesus explained that some would simply refuse to hear: "For the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their heart and turn, So that I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear" (Matthew 13:15,16). Jesus presented the truth on a take-it-or-leave-it basis: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Matthew 11:15). Anyone who has children knows it is possible for audible words to be ignored and simply "not heard"!

What does it take to really hear? In the parable of the sower, Jesus said that “good hearts” will hear and obey the word: "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience" (Luke 8:15).

Jesus also warned: "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given" (Mark 4:24). He once told a crowd... "Hear Me, everyone, and understand" (Mark 7:14). And on one occasion He told His disciples: "Let these words sink down into your ears" (Luke 9:44).

Jesus explained that the family of God consists of those who listen to the Father: "My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it" (Luke 8:21). He also said: "He who is of God hears God's words" (John 8:47); "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27); "Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice" (John 18:37).

Paul warned Timothy that some people will turn their ears away from the truth: "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables" (2 Timothy 4:2-4).

Seven times in Revelation, in the letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor, Christ commands: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). The Spirit speaks through the Bible: "We also have the prophetic word made more sure, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:19-21). Are we listening?

Are we heeding the prophetic word? Are we hearing what the Spirit says to the churches? "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

Most people who call themselves Christians in our fast paced contemporary society, are not listening to what the Spirit is saying. Far too many churches are failing in their mission to be beacons of truth. Sadly... the truth is not found in them... making all you should be hearing of little value. Individuals prefer to follow their own way, the latest trend, and churches have compromised truth in favor of the less restrictive and flexible traditions of men.

NOW... is the time to think about taking that comfortable pair of shoes to your local repair shop and get some new heals and soles. Make ‘em last. Your future, your eternal future, is far more important that whatever excesses and self-indulgences you’ve been chasing. God wants you to last...forever!

Are you listening to your Father in Heaven? As we claim the title “Christian” are we willing and obedient “hearers” of the word of God?

Times are changing... you still have a chance to reflect on what it means to be a true follower of Christ. Ponder the quality and quantity of your personal commitment to Him. Start with prayer.... listen and you will hear... God will renovate your heart and mind, just like a cobbler makes an old pair of shoes... new again.