Hearing God's Train

I was sitting on the couch in our living room tonight while our oldest daughter was playing nearby. All of a sudden, Hadi, who will be 2 in September, said, "Train, woo, woo." It took me a second to figure out why she was making train sounds randomly. But my wife immediately knew why.

"Do you hear a train, Hadi?"
"Ya" (accompanied by a vigorous head nod)

You see, we live in a small town that has railroad tracks running through the middle of the city. Trains probably pass through our town several times every hour, blasting their horns as they run down the tracks. And, even though we live at the edge of town, you can still hear the trains' signals if you pay attention.

If you pay attention...

You see, having lived in Marlin for nearly 4 years now, I have become numb to the horns of the trains. It happens so consistently that I just block it out and rarely notice it unless it comes from a train blocking my car at an intersection. But Hadi hears them almost every time.

As my wife explained, they will frequently be playing or doing chores around the house and Hadi will suddenly stop and say "train" accompanied by her beautiful train sounds. "Woo, woo." She is paying attention.

In thinking about my daughter, I realized that this is often how I treat God's activity in the world as well. Just like the constant barrage of trains through our city, God is constantly at work in our world and in our town. He is always reaching out and moving hearts towards him.

And yet, after years in ministry and years of trying to serve Him, too often I feel I've become deaf to his activity around me. It's very easy for me to only hear silence from Him when the truth of the matter is that He is still there whispering, and maybe even shouting. I allow the daily strains of life and the busyness of the everyday to drown out His voice and blind my eyes.

But my daughter was a blessed reminder that the sound of God's train is still there. He is still moving. He is still speaking. He is still transforming. The real question is whether I will still my heart and mind for long enough to pay attention so I can join in.

"Woo, woo."