Pastor's Note

THE ART OF WATCHING
November 11th, 2007

Last weekend, I went to see the fall play at Perrysburg High School. Besides it being very entertaining, I always enjoy seeing the talent displayed by high school students.
Watching a play is far different from seeing a movie. For one thing, it takes work, self-discipline, and concentration. Although last week’s play was a comedy and easy to enter into, many plays take work on the part of the audience to get the ‘feel’ of things in the first act. It means listening attentively and learning who each person is.
Sometimes watching a play after a long day of work can be challenging. I recall once paying top dollar for a professional play in a major city. The gentleman in the seat next to me slept through the entire first act. During intermission he went out to get something to drink; I thought that would help him during the second act. But, no, he slept through the second act as well.
Just like entering into the drama and interactions of a play on stage, it takes work for us to sometimes tune into the lives of people around us. They may be talking about something very dear to their hearts. Unless we consciously try to listen, however, we will not understand what they are really saying. We won’t ‘get it.’
It’s often easy to tune others out. And others sometimes tune us out as well. When that happens we realize why there are so many lonely people walking around, just waiting for someone willing to listen to them.
Maybe a listening ear is the best thing we have to give.