But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only. — James 1:22
I never really gave a lot of thought to hearing because I was born with the ability to hear. Fast forward to today, and I now have a six-year-old deaf son. Watching his journey from being deaf to receiving cochlear implants was amazing. He went from hearing nothing to speaking words within a year. It was truly a miracle, but it taught me a bigger lesson even still.
My son was unable to hear anything that I was telling him before his implants. I could try to communicate, but unless it was something in sign language that he knew, he was clueless. He would try to tell me things and unfortunately, I was unable to understand his gestures a lot of times. Once he got his hearing, we are able to communicate much easier. If he is not wearing his medical devices, he is still deaf. He has to be “turned on” so to speak to my words so he can hear and can follow.
Just like he must be turned on, we must also be “turned on” to God’s word. That means more than simply hearing it, but also doing it. It’s one thing if we are not able to hear it. If we do not hear God speak, it’s tough for us to know what He is saying. But when we have the gift to hear, we must be “turned on” and tuned in to His words.
Just like my son and I would gesture back and forth before he was “turned on,” God does a lot to get our attention at times. He can put us into a situation that He was trying to warn us about, but we did not listen. We did not comprehend the gestures, we did not hear His warnings.
In James, His warning is clear. If you hear the word, don’t simply just listen, but do it. Do not simply just read the words and hear the direction, but follow it and pay attention. He wants us to move from hearing to doing.