LISTEN, BUT TO WHOM & WHY?

In the grandeur of our time, we the men of the 21st century have not left any stone un-turn in shaping our imaginations to reality. Whether it is stepping out of our terrestrial boundary, artificial insemination, cracking of human genome, harnessing of nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, defining the black hole, invention of teleportation, in so on and so forth we have done our best to define anything that our human mind can conceive even “defining God the way we wanted Him to present Himself”. You ask any average age person or an illiterate homeless man or a scholar, everyone has a definition for everything. Even a man who sells betel (Panwala) can define how the IB should operate and how to play diplomatic immunity. Now, one of the biggest issues (especially of young people) is, “WHOM to Listen and Whom NOT to?”

When confusion becomes the epitaph, how life looks like:

SHADE: I

I learned from one of the prestigious schools. My parents have always fulfilled everything that I wish, they gave me every pleasure so that I won’t feel their absence. I don’t lack people to hang out with me. I just need to log-in my social page and ask anyone I like “let’s hangout, that’s it!” My driver is always ready to take me anywhere I want, none can dare to question me on anything. Most of my friends wish to have a life like me yet… ‘I know what I go through, I know how I go to bed and when I rise-up how my eyes look like’. Apart from me, my Heineken cans, my bedroom’s sea facing balcony, my wardrobe and bedsheets knows my thoughts. Whom can I trust and share my inner-pain? Whom shall I listen? Will he sound relevant or again some more Gyan (knowledge) and flamboyant sacred words!

SHADE: II

For me, it’s a dream to afford a 2BHK flat. I studied from govt. college and was fortunate enough to work in this Call center. I think it is good for me to meet my friends in the nearest City Centre, in fact, I prefer my office cab to drop me there. Though funny yet painful, “I lie to them, I live in the next apartment to the City Centre”. I, the sole bread earner of my family had to look after my aged parents, younger sister’s future and who cares about my future. I think it’s better not to dream some good dreams when your fate has a different story altogether. Whom can I trust and share the things within me? Whom shall I listen? Will he sound relevant or again some more Gyan (knowledge), some more words of comfort and some more flamboyant sacred words!

One of the best-selling authors of the New York Times, Steven Furtick Jr. says

“The direction of our lives is mostly determined by the voices we respond to.”

Indeed! Listening is not just pitching of the stroke of a word into our ears. When we “confine listening to just listening” it affirms the age-old joke, “God, has given us two ears on both sides. One to listen and other works as exit door”. Listening is not just the entry of mere sounds into our ears, moreover, it begins with looking for an answer outside of us, it is the reasoning of thoughts came from the other end and finally ends as we internalize it. On the other hand, when we decide to listen or look for an answer (a voice outside of us) all that we primarily intend – “I must hear what I want to hear”; “It must sound contemporary” and “Instantaneously aid my wound”.

After a week-long meeting, I came back home and was completely worn-out, discouraged and fed-up with the office policies. I convinced myself to quit the next morning. When my Dad came to know my condition, his answer was beyond my expectation. Both of us are of completely different professional background yet his voice on that night saved me from a mistake. He said, “you have the right to write your resignation but prior to that think are you there because you deserve it or it is a grace of God that took you there?” After a couple of weeks, one of my mentors, a very humble, God-fearing and man of honest character put another huge task before me. He said, “take everything into prayer and wait on the LORD. He is God and has ordained all your days. He knows which is better for you. Refrain from what your mind instructs you.”

The Bible says, “Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end, you will be counted among the wise”.

Often, we face such topsy-turvy situation in life which cannot be explained to anyone alongside we do not know what to do. When guilt and loneliness drive life, self-destruction comes riding on the horse. Exactly, that day I decided to end it all. Mind instructed, “it’s your life and you muddle up. You Die”. Apart from Me and God, no one had any idea what’s my next step is. Great is this assurance – GOD IS NEVER LATE. It’s He (Jesus) whispered, “you took your freedom and see today yet if you will follow my voice, I have better plans for you”. Lo, here I am, Today. 😊

In the Bible, God says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear my voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

The world is filled with the knowledge of good and evil. Voices from within and without are too many. LISTEN, BUT TO WHOM & WHY is an individual decision putting life at risk. God does speak. He never refrains from speaking to us through creative means and His voice is always, TRUST-WORTHY!