Selective Hearing

Last night I had an extreme case of Selective Hearing, a case that was rooted in laziness. Here's what happened;

Around midnight I was sleeping away, tucked up in bed beside Barbara when... "WHHAAA" Jacob started yelling. I kept my eyes firmly closed and my body as stiff as a board so as not to give away the fact that I'd awoke! So Barbara had to get up and go and settle him, which did result in his arrival in our bed! But her first words when she returned to bed were "your dad has great selective hearing", she knew rightly that I was pretending to sleep and that I was simply being lazy and somewhat neglectful of my duties as a husband and father, (My proper course should have been to get up, permitting Barbara to sleep on, and for me to go and settle Jacob).


Two other cases of selective hearing
There are a couple of other cases of selective hearing or seeing that spring to my mind;

# All around us in this World there are needs. People are suffering from hunger, poverty, illness and disease and at the hands of other wicked men. And many times I stand back worried only about my own needs - like what's on TV tonight to entertain me?
All the while ignoring, or trying to ignore the fact that all around this globe we call Earth, there are men, women and children in great need! And worst of all there are millions and millions who've never heard of Jesus and are under dominion of sin and face God's righteous, holy wrath over sin!

# And then there is God's Word - the Bible! Oh how often I can read the 'safe bits' of Scripture (you know what I mean - the Psalms), and I can selectively overlook or avoid heavy duty teachings or callings that could mean risk, conviction and change!

Rooted in Laziness & Comfort
For me, I know that all of these branches of selective hearing or seeing are rooted in something that I personally have a continual battle with; laziness, I don't want to have to get up and do something! I want to stay in a nice warm, restful place, surrounded by the entertainment of TV, film, gamesystems, books etc and not having to leave my comfort zone to face difficulty, risk, sufferings or needs. I want to spend my money on me, not on the famine half way around the world! I want to rent the latest film to pass a couple of hours, not go out and do anything hard like strike up conversation about Jesus!

Conclusion
I need to open my eyes to all that God's Word has to say, to listen to all of His commands.
I need to look outside of my own lifestyle and my own needs for entertainment, to see that for many entertainment doesn't even come into it, they need basic things like food or clean water.
And I need to concern myself with the fact that Hell is real and anyone who does not trust Jesus is going there!
I need to get off my butt and continually war against my fleshly, self centredness and to go do, and help, and teach and preach! Bringing social needs and Gospel truth.

How about you?
Do you like me find a tendency in you that tries to neglect important things? Does laziness or the desire for comfort and entertainment draw you to a pretence that you haven't seen the needs around the Earth, or the call of God? Do you find yourself, like me, spending most time reading the 'safe' or 'comfortable' parts of the Bible and not really straying to anything that may convict or change you?
Do you like me need to repent and pray for help on these matters, and do you like me, need to get up and do?