Hearing and Not Listening

Acts 7:54
“When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed their teeth.”
Many times we men are accused of having selective hearing by our wives. This is evidenced by the fact that we have to turn up the TV to hear the programs. Or ask what did the preacher say in church and that we regularly ask our wives to repeat what they tell us. However, all of this doesn’t mean we have a hearing problem. All the while there may be a logical reason to explain that but has nothing to do with our ability to hear.
Who is right? It's hard to say, but when we are told we need to go to a doctor our macho takes over and we get mad. Why do we get mad? I don't know for sure but it is probably because we are afraid she is right. It is true selective hearing is practiced, but then is because we just don’t want to hear the truth when we turn off what we are being told?
What makes you mad when someone says something about you? I'm not suggesting that when you get angry it's proof that someone spoke a truth, but it can certainly indicate a problem or an issue lurking below a normally calm surface. The point is that our first response is often to get angry, rather than reflect calmly on the thing that was said about us. If what is spoken is not true then we should get mad, but if it is true maybe we should look within and find out why.
Does the truth set you free? Jesus said it would in John 8:32. 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith; prove yourselves…”Sometimes a self examination is a painful thing but it is necessary to get a clear view of who we are. Someone has said you can’t fix something until you know it is broken. When other see a fault and bring it to our attention it may well make us mad. If we are honest with ourselves we should put our mad away and look inside and see if the comment is true. We then should make the necessary changes to improve ourselves. When we are told we are lost and in need of a savior most people will run away until the Holy Spirit convicts them of their need. If no change is made the result could be separation from God for eternity. When we accept Jesus into our heart we become a new creature, a new person with new life. We are then born into the family of God everything in the past is forgotten by God, forgiven, and we have our eyes opened to something great and rewarding. “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”