Tune Your Ears to Hear My Voice

My son, be attentive to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings. – Proverbs 4:20

It was eerily quiet. In a room full of children, you could almost hear a pin drop. The only sounds were the faint strains of a Veggie Tales video being streamed over a laptop with nearly non-functional speakers. The children were silent, listening.

Normally, our church’s Sunday morning Kids’ Camp is packed with the melodious sounds of praising children, the enthusiastic voices of teachers, and the joyful cheers of playing children, but this morning was different. My husband and I were providing childcare for a pre-service prayer meeting where the only item on the agenda was a Veggie Tales flick.

When we realized the speakers were broken, I assumed the children would scamper off and play, but they didn’t. They gathered on the mat, stared at the images projected onto the screen, and strained to listen.

Listening! Such an important concept for all parents but especially homeschooling moms! Such an important concept! Such a neglected skill! We teach our children to do math, read, memorize lists, and even do chores, but do we really teach them to listen? The book of Proverbs is filled with admonitions to incline our ears to wisdom. We know that God our heavenly Father is the source of all wisdom. Imitating Him, we require our children to listen to our directions, exhortations, and words of love.

Sometimes I wonder when my children will finally stop saying, “Mom, I didn’t hear you,” after failing to do a chore or follow a direction. In our home, this is not acceptable. I am forever telling my children, “You need to tune your ear to hear my voice.” Mom’s words are important.

How can we help our precious children tune their ears to hear? When I approach my darlings with a direction, I look them in the eyes and speak clearly. I ask for a verbal response. “Yes, Ma’am” or “Yes, Mom” are both acceptable. I instruct them that they must immediately proceed to follow whatever direction they’ve just acknowledged.  Otherwise, they become like the son Jesus talks about in Matthew 21:30 who agrees to work for his father but fails to follow through. No one wants to imitate him!

Does the method always work? Of course not! I am an imperfect mother who all too often fails to properly command her children’s attention through eye contact and clear directions. My children are imperfect people who would rather continue pursuing whatever they are in the midst of than stop and follow a direction.

But sometimes I catch a glimmer of hope. The children slide into their school desks and finish their math pages. They fold the laundry before going out to play. They learn the benefits of listening and enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done.

They are capable of listening. They maintain perfect silence to hang on Larry the Cucumber’s every word. They can tune their ear to hear Mom’s voice, too. Let’s reward them by filling their ears with not just our loving training and directions but also our warm words of love. They’re learning to listen not only to us but also their Heavenly Father.

 

I am a devoted wife, mother of three great kids and, most importantly, a follower of Jesus Christ. I love long summer days, photography, and stealing quiet moments for writing. You can read more from Leslie at Forever Joyful. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.