Fish Ears

Hurry up, Dad, thought Landon as his dad read a Bible passage aloud. Landon was anxious for morning devotions to end so the day's fishing trip could begin. It seemed like a long time before Dad finally closed with prayer."Okay, let's go!" said Landon as soon as Dad said "Amen." He grinned at his mother. "We'll bring you some fish for dinner." When they got to the river, Landon and Dad quickly cast their fishing lines into the water. They talked as they waited for the fish to bite, but they didn't get even one nibble. "Maybe they heard us talk about frying them!" joked Landon as he and Dad moved along the riverbank to try a different spot. A few minutes later, something tugged at Landon's line. "I've got a bite!" he exclaimed. He reeled in his catch. "My dinner!" he announced, holding the fish above his head. Landon frowned as he took the fish off the hook and inspected it. "I thought talking too loud was scaring the fish away, but fish don't even have ears.""Sure they do," said Dad. "You just can't see them. Fish have internal ears--that is, ears on the inside--not external ones like us." He tugged gently on Landon's ear. "But you know what?"Landon shook his head. "What?" "Well," said Dad, "even though our ears are on the outside of our heads, our most important hearing takes place on the inside in our hearts. That happens when we listen carefully to the message God has for us. His message is in the Bible--it tells us about our need for Jesus and how we should live as God's children who have been freed from sin. When we listen to that message, God helps us live out its truth."Landon thought about their devotions that morning. He had heard Dad's voice, but he knew he hadn't listened with his heart to God's message. "I didn't do a good job of that this morning."Dad patted his shoulder. "None of us listen perfectly all the time, but God is patient with us. He's also given us the Holy Spirit to help us listen and act on His words."Landon nodded. "Maybe tonight I'll reread the devotions and listen better this time." He grinned. "After I eat some freshly caught fish, that is!"–Nance E. Keyes