Hearing What We Want To Here

In a recent conversation, the topic of how children sometimes mishear things came up. Often, what they think they’ve heard turns out to be quite different from what was actually said. While some of this can be attributed to the difficulty of pronouncing certain words or names, the real issue sometimes lies in how children perceive what they hear. In a way, they “hear what they want to hear.”

As a child of about five, I remember thinking the hymn “Jesus Meek and Gentle” was actually “Jesus Meek and Gentile.” (Of course, Jesus was a Jew, not a Gentile!) Someone else shared how they used to think the line “Low in the grave He lay...” was “Low in the gravy lay.” Another person admitted they thought the song “Let’s have a little talk with Jesus” was really “Let’s have a little chocolate Jesus.” The list of such amusing misunderstandings could go on and on.

While these childhood examples are comical, they also teach us an important lesson: children, in their innocence, often reveal truths that adults might overlook. How many of us, as grown-ups, suffer from the same issue? In the religious world, people often hear the truth being preached or taught, yet somehow miss the point, filtering it through their own perceptions and “hearing what they want to hear.”

The apostle Paul addressed this in Acts 28:25-28, where he lamented that some, though hearing, would not understand. The reality is that if we refuse to truly “hear” the truth, we cannot be saved (Acts 11:14; Hebrews 4:2; Romans 10:17). The choice is ours. As Jesus Himself said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Mark 4:9).

Let us approach God’s Word with open hearts and minds, ready to listen, understand, and be transformed by the truth.

Aaron Veyon