Hear and Listen

Day 5 since our first chemo treatment. So far so good. Wait. What's that I hear? Squeak, squeak, squeak...it's Shelly's hedgehog that's been in hibernation for sometime now. She's pulled him out again. What a joyous sound it brings rather than it's past annoyance.  

 

 

 

Funny how little things like a squeaker toy can trigger all kinds of thoughts and emotions. In days past, Shelly couldn't walk past her toy basket on the stairway landing without grabbing one of them to carry away in her mouth, squeaking it incessantly along the way. By the end of the day, there'd be a pile of squeaky toys all over the family room floor. As of late, there's only been a few un-chewed rawhides along with clumps of dog-hair as a subtle reminder that we do have a small pack of dogs living here!

 

When did Shelly forget about all her squeaky friends that have been lying in wait? How did I miss this? That's one of the components of an illness. The first sign is the absence of playfulness. It if came with an announcement, then it would have been much easier to understand what was beginning to happen in Shelly's little body, but sadly it didn't.

 

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Deut. 6:4,5

This was the reply Jesus gave when he was asked what the greatest commandment was.

I found this interesting that such an important question was preceded by the word - HEAR.  In order

for the audience to grasp the meaning of what Jesus was about to say, he had to first tell them to listen! Don't we do this when we have something important to say to others? Listen! For this is very important...

Unfortunately with our canine fur babies, it's very difficult for them to tell us LISTEN! In fact dogs are so adept at masking their pain, that our jobs as their shepherds, becomes even that much more difficult. When you have a senior pet as Shelly is, subtle changes are about the only clues they provide. We must be in tune to any changes they may be experiencing. In Shelly's case, I sadly dropped the ball on her, and am now questioning things from vet visits to my own "listening" ability. In hindsight, what I do understand is that our pets truly rely on us 100%.
 

 

They are the most loyal and devoted creatures I know of. We must "listen" to them with our own hearts, soul and might, otherwise me might just miss the importance of their very lives.

 

On this day, it's difficult to turn anywhere without hearing about the tragic loss of Robin Williams. How very sad. It is now clear that he had suffered greatly. How could those closest to him have missed the importance of his own life? Did they really "hear" him, were they "listening"?

This is something that I believe God was working through his son Jesus in the above response. Hear O Israel...He wanted to capture the moment by impressing upon them to truly listen to his answer. Not merely let the words wash over them.

 

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and

with all your might. Deut. 6:5

 

Do His words just wash over you, or do you really Hear them?

Perhaps if we took this commandment as seriously as it was given, there would be much less pain and heartache everywhere. We'd all learn how to "listen" to those around us so that we could walk in God's truth, showing others the way to true freedom as well.

 

As I stop to "hear" what my dogs are now barking at, it appears to me that they only do so because I'm not "listening" in dog language. Funny how some belly rubs and snuggle time quiets not only them, but my own soul as well.