I have a problem. Okay, I have a lot of problems. One of them is listening to and hearing God’s voice, especially when I am frustrated or really interested in something. You too?

 

It seems there are so many other distracting ‘noises’ in my life that compete with my ability – or interest – in listening to what God has to say to me. It’s like the Tinnitus, constant ringing in my ears, that hinders me from attending to anything else. As I was lying in bed, hearing the ringing continue, I began to wonder…

 

How many of us have ‘Spiritual Tinnitus’?

 

Spiritual Tinnitus is not a recognized condition. In fact, I never heard the phrase until I typed it a few seconds ago. But Spiritual Tinnitus could be described as attuning our life to certain things so THAT is all we hear, making it difficult for us to attune to spiritual matters in our life. It could be getting revved up listening to opinionated radio talk show hosts or spirited Facebook debates. Or being so attuned to sports that any ‘sound’ of sports news quickly grabs your attention. Or maybe it’s the ‘sounds’ of beauty, health, diet, and cute things that prompt the brain’s antennae to ‘pop up’. Sometimes I’ll be attuning to something else and find the question I ask my wife was just answered – by her – a few minutes earlier! (Busted.)

 

I sometimes use ‘masking’ sounds to keep me from focusing on the distracting ringing in my ears. But what about our ability to attune to God’s voice? With so many competing ‘noises’ in our lives I wonder if we need a ‘masking device’ to tune out the distractions so we can hear His voice astoundingly grab our attention and speak to us throughout the entire day!

 

There’s (maybe) nothing wrong with having interests in different things. But when our passions so greatly consume us that we have little ability to tune in to God’s guiding and encouraging voice, isn’t that a problem? This might not seem like a big deal if you view God as an important ‘part’ of your life. This view allows us to delegate a certain ‘quality’ (not quantity) time to talking and/or listening to Him. But what if you’ve come to the conclusion that He IS your life and you say you want to dedicate your WHOLE life to Him? Then something has to give.

 

If this discussion ‘rings’ in your ears for a while, make mental note of the things that really grab your attention more than God’s voice throughout the day. Ask yourself, is listening to this ‘voice’ hindering me from hearing God’s own voice and pursuing His call on my life? If so, ‘mask’ it out so you can focus on what God has to say to you.

 

Don’t let Spiritual Tinnitus drown out God’s voice. Actively watch and listen for opportunities to see and hear God at work all around you. And go there with Him.