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Experiencing something from a different perspective can be truly life-changing. In Florida, one of our neighbors had been a professional baseball player. On the field or in the dugout, he was solely focused on the game. Each play was one piece in the puzzle of victory or defeat. The game was all-consuming.
Once he hung up his glove, he experienced the game from a different perspective. Upon attending his first game post-retirement, he quickly realized — to his dismay — that spectators don’t focus nearly as intently on the game as the players do. They socialize and engage with the attractions at the park. Baseball is different in the stands.
Recently, I have been able to experience Scripture from a different perspective. Instead of reading it, I was challenged to listen.
So each day I began to listen to one of Paul’s letters in its entirety through Bible audiobook format. This month has been 2 Corinthians, and as I have listened each day, I have found that the words fall on my ears and into my heart differently than when I read them. The absence of the chapter and verse breaks enables the whole of Paul’s letter to be heard, each section building off its predecessor. That is the way that the epistle was originally received by most people. As a letter to the church in Corinth, it was heard in its entirety by the body of Christ, providing instruction and encouragement for them.
In Romans 10:17, we find the words, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” I challenge you to listen to God’s Word. Instead of talk radio in the car or music on the treadmill, listen to Philippians or Ephesians. Explore how experiencing God’s Word from a different perspective can change the way you receive it. Alan Alda said, “Listening is being able to be changed by the other person.” See how God forms and shapes you through the discipline of listening.
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