I can hear ya’ll gasping right now. I hear your exasperated attempts to tell what books I should give a try and how much I can accomplish whilst enjoying a book. You tell me what books have the best narration and how listening to a book isn’t the same as learning. I feel odd. I have an audiobook FOMO.
I love books! When I was a child, my parents would buy me book sets for Christmas. I was only allowed to have one book a day; otherwise, I disappear and not come out. It’s a weird paradox, me that is. I am a bubbling extroverted gal. I can strike up a convo with most, even if we don’t speak the same language. Yet hand a book, a good book, and instantly I don’t care who is around me. The book becomes my friend. I want to hold the book. And the cherry on top, I am a visual learner, not auditory. So there is no way I could concentrate on a person reading to me for so long.
Last week, against everything inside myself, I listened to an audiobook. Astonishing! I had just read Laura Dave “The Last Thing He Told Me.” I fell in love with her writing instantly. I couldn’t wait to go to the library; I needed another book from her. I pulled up audible on my iPhone, and there were three more of her books at my fingertips. I pulled the trigger and hit play. “OH MY GOSH! I love this!!!!” Oops, I had been horribly wrong about audiobooks.
The Holy Spirit is like listening to an audiobook. Most people do not think that the Holy Spirit speaks to them. Only the “super-spiritual” hear. That is not true. Those who do not hear Him have not trained their ears. They have told themselves that they are not auditory learners. It goes hand and hand with their faith. Faith believes in the unseen, yet God in His goodness reveals Himself to us at times. So oddly enough, faith does not seem as unfathomable as hearing the Holy Spirit speak. Yet once you hear Him speak, you will never tune Him out again! He has been speaking to you all along; you just hadn’t trained your ears.
It is our doubts that get in the way of us genuinely hearing. It’s the lies we tell ourselves, “If I am not holding the book, I don’t feel like it counts,” that hold us back. We think we know ourselves so deeply that we can provide a diagnosis without a shadow of a doubt what works for us and doesn’t. Until we realized we were wrong! Until that one day, when you turn on your first audiobook and are amazed at the wonder of it all. Once the lie is acknowledged, we are fully able to experience a wonderful new thing. The Spirit speaks. He is speaking to you. Take a few minutes to tune in, and you will be amazed!
“The Father is sending a great Helper, the Holy Spirit, in My name to teach you everything and to remind you of all I have said to you.” John 14: 26
If you would like to talk more about audiobooks and the Holy Spirit, please do not hesitate to set up a free
Journey Well,
Coach Holly
