Eyes to See AND Ears to Hear

On By Beth AlisanIn Lessons

The veteran and the newbie.  Both our Labradors were hiking by five months of age.   Our black Labrador Adi is the veteran with seven summers of hiking under her belt, while our yellow Labmaraner Summer is the newbie with only two summers under her belt.

Adi took to hiking like a duck to water.  She was born with trail sense that only required some fine tuning.  Summer on the other hand has been a work in progress. 

On the trail, I expect my dogs to . . .  Follow the trail not the smells.  Greet fellow hikers with a tail wag not a bark.  Observe other critters don’t pursue them.  Stay within a 30 foot range.  And most importantly, stop when I say “whoa.”

This summer I was pleasantly surprised to find that Summer had finally found her stride and was adhering to my trail rules with little to no correction.  The newbie had finally earned the level of freedom the veteran enjoyed.

On our mountain vacation, it was a delight to watch our Labs moving confidently together along the trails. The quietude of the woods enveloping us was only broken with the command, “Whoa.”  Anytime we came up on water, expanses of mud, or sharp turns, I asked the dogs to stop and wait for further guidance. 

It didn’t take long for me to notice a distinct difference in the way my two Labradors stopped.  See if you can spot the difference.

Adi stops but continues to gaze down the trail, simply waiting to continue forward.  Summer on the other hand stops and looks back at me or turns her body completely so she is facing me.  With her eyes on me, she has locked in to my position and is quicker to respond to my next instruction.

Watching my pups differing responses brought to mind a snippet of a verse- “Ears that hear AND eyes to see.”  (Proverbs 20:12 emphasis mine).

I’ve been hiking through this life with the Lord for quite a long time, and I’ve become like my veteran hiker.  When He speaks, I stop to listen but don’t necessarily look to see Him.  I’m just gazing down the line waiting to hear His next instruction.  However, the full blessing comes by being like my newbie hiker. Jesus told His disciples,

“But blessed are your eyes because they see, AND your ears because they hear.” (Matthew 13:16)

Hearing and obeying what Jesus says is not enough.  I must also stop and see the speaker.  In turning, I take my eyes off of what lies ahead down the road and focus on the one guiding me down life’s trail- Jesus- the Son of God, my Savior, the Good Shepherd. As the hymn says,

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace"
-Helen Howarth Lemmel*

Lemmel, Helen Howarth.  (1922). “ Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” [Lyrics]

© 2024, Lessons from a Lab, Beth Alisan.  All Rights Reserved.

26 thoughts on “Eyes to See AND Ears to Hear”

    1. So true, Pastor Pete. Summer has come into her own with hiking. She had to overcome fears of skittering skinks, flying leaves, and strange sounds. I finally decided she needed a season of hiking solo so that she would learn to listen to me and not be overdependent on Adi. This year I have seen the fruit of those solo hikes.

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  2. Oh yes–what a privilete is ours to turn toward our Savior throughout the day, allowing him to redirect our course if necessary, encourage us, provide wisdom for what’s next and more. Yes indeed–I want to live like Summer in the spiritual realm with my eyes turned toward Jesus! Thank you, Beth!

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  3. I loved this post and analogy with your two dogs. Such wisdom can be learned from animals. The way they both response show you are a good trainer. my husband just told me I might be able to get a small dog after Christmas. It would be mostly an inside dog, our winters are long and brutal. Possible a lap dog of some kind for this old women. What I would always wanted to do was raise a kitten and puppy together, we will see if that happens. Blessings.

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    1. Thank you! A small lap dog would make a lovely companion and walking partner. When our black Lab was still very young, we added a six month old feral kitten to the mix. The two of them bonded quickly and I give Adi credit for our cat adapting so quickly to domestic life. It is so much fun watching them together.

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  4. Beth, Summer has made a perfect illustration for “TURN” your eyes upon Jesus. While looking at your photos, it’s the first thing that went through my mind. Summer has your full attention while Adi’s posture reminds me of myself getting distracted and then responding like, “Oh, did you say something? What, Lord, I’m listening.” May all believers take more after Summer’s posture and attention.

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  5. Patricia Ann Burkhart's avatar Patricia Ann Burkhart

    Beth – God has given you such an extraordinary gift of taking every-day occurrences and observing how they correlate to a Biblical lesson. Thank you for your words and give Adi and Summer a hug for me!

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    1. Thank you Pat! Your comment means a lot. Adi sends you a Labby lick and Summer lots of barks. Hope you are doing well! I know Mom has been keeping you in the loop of all our going ons.

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  6. I just totally love your stories (parables!) about Adi and Summer. The truths you speak of are really driven home not only with words but also with your great pictures. It sticks in my mind. This one is so precious. Hear my Lord, but also look at Him. Thank you, Beth. Your writing is a joy to me.

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    1. Thank you so much Patty! I’ll be honest, it is getting increasingly harder to find space to write down what is bouncing around in my head. I’m very grateful to have been given an unexpected pocket of time in my favorite writing location- my hometown. I’m sure you have tales to tell of parenting teenagers and the demands their commitments have on a mother’s time.

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      1. I really do understand your dilemma with time to write. I feel that way now but with not with teenagers around. Just know that what you do write is very powerful and pertinent to all of us who are blessed to read. I hope you will continue when you have the opportunity.

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  8. I wish Henry (my Yorkie) was more like your Summer and Adi. Unfortunately, he thinks he’s in charge of me! He’s barking at me right now. He wants his 4:00 walk! I think there’s a lesson here. 😳 Blessings, Beth!

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    1. Sure does sound like there is a lesson from Henry just waiting for you to put into words. Our direct neighbor has 2 Yorkies that race barking along their fence every time our Labs come trying to get their attention. They’ve escaped their yard on occasion and come racing over to ours. The one name Tasmanian, who is such a little guy, moves so quickly and sporadically that our Labs are absolutely terrified of him. They don’t understand he just wants to play. LOL.

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  9. An excellent and valuable spiritual lesson illustrated by Summer and Adi. Turning our eyes upon our Shepherd rather than the trail is faith in action; He knows us and the trail we must follow – hallelujah. Thank you for yet another precious doggy devotional Beth. God bless you and your family today sister 🙏

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