Sometimes listening is seeing. Does that seem counterintuitive? Actually, it is somewhat absurd. It mixes senses and metaphors. Listening is hearing. Seeing is-well, seeing! It's audio versus visual. Yet, sometimes listening is seeing. To illustrate what I'm trying to convey, let's look at two stories in 1 Samuel 18.
Our first story involves two young men who were prominent in the public scene. One was King Saul's son, Jonathan. The other was an up-and-coming warrior and hero to the nation of Israel. His name was David. The same David who had been anointed by God to replace Saul as king. You would think that would make Jonathan — the heir apparent — and David archenemies. However, according to 1 Samuel 18:1-4, this was not the case. Both men became kindred spirits.
“After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king's son. There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David. From that day on Saul kept David with him and wouldn't let him return home. And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David because he loved him as he loved himself. Jonathan sealed the pact by taking off his robe and giving it to David, together with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt.”
Jonathan doesn't just say they were friends; he makes a covenant with David. His actions clearly "speak" of that bond. Listening is seeing. Words are solidified through actions. This becomes even more evident when we read the rest of the chapter and look at the interactions between David and King Saul.
Saul becomes jealous of David's popularity with the people. His jealousy exhibits itself in plots to bring about David's death. Not overtly, but through deception. What is ironic about Saul's actions are that his words of fidelity to God were not demonstrated in his behavior towards the people, Samuel or David. When we listen to Saul, we see that his words and actions do not match up.
“One day Saul said to David, 'I am ready to give you my older daughter, Merab, as your wife. But first, you must prove yourself to be a real warrior by fighting the Lord's battles.’ For Saul thought, ‘I’ll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself.’” (1 Samuel 18:17)
Here again, we note that Saul says he loves David, but his actions bear a different witness. Sometimes listening is seeing!
Are there any implications for us as we work together at Loma Linda University Health? Our mission statement and values are the litmus test used by our students, patients and partners to see whether or not we are walking our talk. Here are a few questions that we can reflect on to see if we are listening.
When patients interact with front office employees around our medical institutions, do courteous greetings only mask disengaged actions? We may hear words proclaimed that we are a caring academic environment, but do students see those words that they listened to lived out through the actions of their professors? When each of us encounters one another as we move about LLUH and ask, “How are you doing,” do we really want to know, or is it just a way of greeting and hastily moving on?
Remember as we strive “to continue the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus Christ,” listening is seeing it reflected in our actions.