Devotionals by Brian Goins

Itching Ears
By Carlos Santiago

“Can you believe she said that?” I asked my son after his mother made a snarky comment.

“Yeah, you were wrong, Dad,” he replied.

It wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear. I was looking for some sympathy and validation. Instead, I was met with the cold hard truth.

In a world of endless channels, podcasts, and playlists, we seldom listen to anything we don’t like. If I don’t like a song, a thumbs down ensures I never hear it again. If a friend says something I don’t like on social media, I can unfollow them.

My newsfeed is customized. My TV recommendations are based on my viewing history. Even the ads I watch are tailored to my buying habits.

But if everything we listen to caters to our preferences, how can we know if we are “wandering off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)?

What negative thoughts do you have about your spouse? Do you often think, “He never listens!” or “She doesn’t care!”? Whatever those thoughts are, you’ll naturally notice anything that supports your belief … and fail to see any evidence to the contrary. It’s called confirmation bias. And it can divide a home.

If we’re to avoid having “itching ears” (see today’s Good Stuff verse), we have to remove the blinders preventing us from seeing the opposing side … i.e., our spouse’s point of view. One way to do this is to surround yourself with people who won’t always agree with you.

For me that day, it was my son.

After the shock of his rebuke wore off, I realized he was right. I was wrong. Thankfully, he didn’t just tell me what I wanted to hear. He told me what I needed to hear.

For more on how this can look in your family, Listen to “Hearing One Another.”

The Good Stuff: For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Action Points: What negative thought about your spouse has been ringing in your ears lately? What do you think could be your spouse’s point of view on this? Talk this over with a trusted friend or mentor who isn’t afraid to speak the truth to you.

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