The Things We Choose to Hear

My neighbor Marissa once shared a story about her father that has stayed with me ever since.

Her father was hard of hearing, and whenever he went to the doctor, Marissa would ask him, "What did the doctor say?"

His response? "I don’t know, I couldn’t hear anything."

And just like that, he went on with his day, unbothered. He lived another ten years.

At first, it made me laugh—what a way to handle life, right? But the more I sat with his words, the more I realized the quiet wisdom in them.

He couldn’t hear the bad news, so it never had the power to define how he thought, how he lived, or how much time he had left.

It made me wonder: How much of what we "hear" shapes the way we live?

We absorb so much of what others say about us—often without even realizing it. A rejection, a shameful comment, a careless remark—they become louder than the truth. And though we try to silence those voices, they have a way of creeping back in, whispering doubt, feeding fear, clouding our perspective.

Before we know it, we start living not by what is real, but by what we fear.

I’m not saying we should ignore reality, but what if we were more intentional about what we allow to take root in our hearts? What if we filtered out the noise—the assumptions, the negativity, the lies—and instead, chose to amplify what brings life, hope, and purpose?

How different would our lives be if we chose that instead? If we trained our minds and hearts to lean into what is true, instead of what is limiting?

We can’t control the world or the people around us, but we can control what we absorb, believe, and respond to.

We can choose to let negativity fog up our vision, or we can decide to see through the lens of truth, grace, and possibility.

Maybe Marissa’s father was onto something. Maybe, sometimes, not hearing the bad news gives us permission to keep living fully.

What are you choosing to hear today?

#Reflections #MindsetMatters #ChooseWisely #FaithOverFear