I was on my way to a store the other day to shop for an anniversary gift for my wife, but was waylaid by a free trade gift fair at Daley Plaza. Perfect! I needed a gift and there were plenty of gifts to choose from. I decided to buy a sarong for those times when she takes our kids to the pool. I found one that I thought she’d like and there was even a handy diagram showing the uninitiated (like me) how to wear a sarong. When I went to purchase it, I asked the clerk if she had a copy of that diagram.

Some may laugh at my question because maybe putting on a sarong is something that everyone knows how to do. I’m definitely not one of those people. The clerk said she didn’t have an extra copy, but she started to describe to me how it was done. i stopped her and admitted that there was no way I’d remember the instructions. 

She continued, “But all of you have to do is…” and she tried to tell me again. And again I tried to tell her that I wouldn’t remember anything she said, but asked if I could find something online that would describe it and she assured me there was. Thirty seconds later–you guessed it–she gave it one more try.

As I walked away, I wondered why she didn’t listen to my protests. I prize the gift of listening because listening is such a vital tool for one’s faith toolkit. You might think that the key to prayer is what one says, but the bigger key is how one listens to how God might be speaking. 

It finally dawned on me later in the afternoon that the clerk wasn’t the only one who wasn’t listening. I didn’t even give her the chance to explain and shut myself off from possible instruction. It appears I need to open my ears, as well.