“Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! Psalms 81:13
Some lessons (hopefully not most, but certainly some) are learned the hard way, as it is sometimes referred to; that is, by making a mistake that was totally avoidable. The lesson would have been easily learned just by receiving instruction concerning the matter. So, you had a choice; either the easy way or the hard way.
On the surface this seems like a very simple matter. If someone were to offer you the choice of learning something the easy way or the hard way, you would choose the easy way. Why make things more complicated than they have to be? Why indeed! Yet, with each new generation comes a multitude of lessons learned the hard way. Even more unfortunate is the fact that, although someone chooses to learn the hard way, it does not automatically follow that they will learn that lesson. Sadly, some never do learn and end up repeating the same mistake over and over.
If listening and learning is so beneficial, why would anyone ever choose the hard way? Primarily, because of the nature of the flesh, it can be attributed to pride. It is easy to see that the tendency to not listen begins early in life. As soon as children begin to develop a will of their own, there is an inclination toward not listening to instruction. Why? Because, the child, from his perspective, knows better than the parent what he should or should not do.
Listening doesn’t get any easier as the child becomes a youth. In fact, every year, as the child grows into a young adult, he or she may become even less inclined to listen to their parents and choose to pay more attention to what is said by their peers than by their parents. Eventually (hopefully) the child grows into an adult and suddenly realizes that their parents are finally getting smarter and might even have some things to say that are worth listening to!
Watching this unfold from the outside looking in, you want to tell the child or youth to open their eyes (and ears) and receive the blessings of instruction and wisdom that are available to them through their parents and other adults the Lord has put in their life. You don’t have to figure everything out for yourself as if no one has ever gone through what you are going through. There is nothing new under the sun.
The Lord is speaking to you every day. He has given you His Word and in it are His principles and promises that will help you through any situation. Yet, when you face a challenging time (like the storms of life), who do you listen to? Would you ask a blind person what they see or a deaf person what they hear? Why then would you seek to hear what man has to say about your life when God is the One who knows everything about you, for He is your creator. Listening to people instead of the Lord is not the easy way.
All of your days were known to the Lord before you were born. He has much to say about His love and provision for you if you will only listen — listen to the Lord!
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