Who Has Your Ear?

Who has your ear? The good guy or the bad? It’s a concept advertisers sometimes evoke when pitching products and services. In these television commercials, the devil stands on one shoulder of a hapless-looking man and an angel on the other. 

Apple has aired them. 

So has Wendy’s. 

Subway’s went something like this: “Eat the Whopper,” the guy with the horns commanded. Ignore those 40 grams of fat. “Whopper it up!”

“Don’t listen to him,” the angel warned. “He doesn’t care about you.”

The moral? Listen to your better half. Eat low-fat Subway sandwiches! 

Fade to black. Commercial over.

Awesome Meme

Even though I wrote a similar commentary for the Price of Business Digital Network, I wanted to share it here too. It’s a great meme because everyone understands the idea. Whether you call it intuition, a gut feeling, God, or the Holy Spirit—I’d wager most people have experienced the sensation of battling voices. 

One comes from a place of goodness and protection—the angel—and the other, well he sports horns and a pitchfork. He colors in crimson and plays on our doubts and fears, our human longings. He wants us to stumble and make a hash of things.

I’ve experienced the battling voices.

Why, for example, did I click the bold, blinking button that warned of computer malware? The still small voice urged me to ignore the message, but the other screeched louder, reminding me of lost data, idle worktime, blown deadlines. I had to act now. 

Guess who had my ear? 

The guy with the horns and pitchfork, and my problems had only just begun.

Another instance happened shortly after I decided to start my freelance writing business many, many years ago. I’d debated the pros and cons. Prayed for guidance. When I quit my job, hung my shingle, and set out to find clients, I knew I’d made the right decision. An all-consuming peace enveloped me. 

Why then did the big talker ensnare me? He gladly took my work but then refused to pay my four-hundred-dollar fee. Worse yet, my gut had told me he couldn’t be trusted. Why hadn’t I listened? 

I know. I needed the client and tossed caution to the wind.

How About You?

How about you? Who has your ear? Because sometimes failing to listen to your “better angel” can result in pain far more damaging than the loss of a few hundred dollars.

 A woman I know comes to mind. 

I told you about her a few weeks ago. She, too, had ignored the signs, the nagging doubts, and as she told me, “My heart told me something wasn’t right.” But she, like so many of us, plowed ahead anyway, motivated by a longing that blinded her to the truth. 

The takeaway? 

If your gut tells you something isn’t right or if a still small voice tells you to revisit an issue, regardless of how large or inconsequential, listen to it. It’s talking for a reason.

Who has your ear?