Checked Your Listening Device Lately?

by Kari Diane Pike

In all the excitement of children and grandchildren arriving in our home last night, I nearly forgot about posting today! Fortunately, five-year-old Wesly said something that made me laugh and ponder...and want to share with all of you...which led to realizing today was my day! You've heard from Wesly before. He's the one that saw the Wise man in the nativity and wanted to know where the foolish man was. Well, Wesly's mom wanted to give him some instructions and she said, "Wesly, did you check your listening devices?" as she snapped her fingers next to each of her ears. She wanted to make certain Wesly was paying attention. Wesly looked at his mom and said, "My batteries are dead." Of course later, he told his mom that he had lots of extra batteries and that his younger brother Travis was welcome to use them any time he needed them.

After I stopped laughing, I started wondering about my own listening devices. When's the last time I checked to see how carefully I listen to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit? With the New Year quickly approaching, we find ourselves taking inventory and setting goals, but is a once-a-year tune-up really enough? I don't think so. Like the ten virgins, we need to be constantly checking to see if we are prepared not only to experience trials, but to receive the wonderful blessings waiting for us.

One of the treasure troves of blessings I have come to love is my scriptures. But I can only find the treasures there if I check my listening devices first. By opening my study time with prayer, I find that I hear and feel the words more clearly. Today, as I read 3 Nephi, 23 and 24, I felt the words become more real to me than ever before. What is the difference this time? I couldn't help but wonder what it must have been like to be in Christ's presence, to hear his voice, to look into his eyes as he spoke. I love the example set for us as Christ commands his disciples to write down the words of Samuel the Lamanite and then in 3 Ne 23:14,

"And now it came to pass that when Jesus had expounded all the scriptures in one, which they had written, he commanded them that they should teach the things which he had expounded unto them."

I thought about the meaning of "expounded all the scriptures in one." The reference in the footnotes took me to Luke 24:27,44--where Christ expounds "unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." Christ taught and showed how all the scriptures testify of him. Verse 45 says,"Then he opened their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures."

I love Christ's example of learning, then teaching. In order to learn, however, we must be able to hear the message. And we need patience. Lately, that is the message I keep hearing over and over. Be patient. Be patient. Remember President Hinckley teaching us that? I'll bet I've read my patriarchal blessings hundreds of times and the other day I read the words, "be patient..." I never really noticed them before. I hear them loud and clear now. I wonder what blessings are waiting around the corner. Guess I better check my listening devices so that I don't miss them!