Last night at 9:25, a train rolled through our town and past my house. It is the first time I have heard it in years, which is remarkable, considering it happens every single night. Having lived in the same house for 10 years, I have become deaf to the familiar sounds around me.

This selective deafness mirrors a common spiritual challenge for the people who follow Jesus. We can read our Bibles, talk to other Christians, listen regularly to the preaching of God’s word, and slowly stop listening. The sounds become familiar, the words no longer touch us, and the message is lost in the background noise of our lives.

Perhaps the solution isn’t to seek more knowledge or spiritual content but rather to create space for deep listening. By quieting our minds and turning our full attention to the wisdom already present, we might rediscover truths that we have not genuinely heard in years.