Sunday, September 10, 2006

Learning To Listen

The author Max Lucado writes:

"A friend of mine married an opera soprano. She loves concerts. Her college years were spent in the music department, and her earliest memories were of keyboards and choir risers. "

"He, on the other hand, leans more toward Monday Night Football and country music. He also loves his wife, so on occasion he attends an opera. The two sit side by side in the same auditorium, listening to the same music, with two completely different responses. He sleeps and she weeps."

"I believe the difference is more than taste. It’s training. She has spent hours learning to appreciate the art of music. He has spent none. Her ears are Geiger-counter sensitive. He can’t differentiate between staccato and legato. But he is trying. Last time we talked about the concerts, he told me he is managing to stay awake. He may never have the same ear as his wife, but with time he is learning to listen and appreciate the music."

"… equipped with the right tools, we can learn to listen…”

Source: Max Lucado, Just Like Jesus (Nashville: Word, 1998).

Image: Concert Music