Yeah, Sure, Ok

Something I learned in college during one of my theatre classes was that we all have “isms”. Isms are things we as individuals do all the time without even thinking about it. One of my teammates, Brittney, has the ism of singing your name when she sees you. My other teammate, Jaimie, has the ism of saying like throughout her conversations. I have the ism of repeating parts of sentences when I'm trying to convey ideas. They are sort of like habits.
 
One of the things that I have noticed most people do is zone out within certain conversations. Admit it… we all do it. We’ve all been in conversations where our minds are just not engaged. We’re thinking about other things while trying to put on the physical appearance that we’re listening. Whether on the phone or in person these conversations happen. Within these moments of zoning out we each have an ism.
 

 
We use these over and over with different tones to make us seem present. In the end, we get through the conversation and go on with the rest of our day without really having any idea of what the person was actually talking about. To the person though, it seems like we were listening. As I realize this about myself and the people around me I begin to wonder if our conversations with God mirror our conversations with each other. When He speaks to us do we just snap into our isms and say “Yeah”, “Sure”, “Ok”, or do we actually listen to Him.
 
God doesn’t want our isms when it comes to having a conversation with Him. He wants our attention; our full attention. He wants us to listen, say “Yes” confidently, and obey. He already knows if we zone out. He already knows if we go on autopilot. Will he keep talking to us even when he knows we’re not really listening?
 
The next time you talk to Him I would encourage you to ask Him if you do this. He may surprise you with his answer and bring you into deeper conversations with him that you may have never been able to hear when relying on your isms.