Attention Must Be Paid

I don’t say he’s a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He’s not the finest character that ever lived. But he’s a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He’s not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a person. You called him crazy… no, a lot of people think he’s lost his… balance. But you don’t have to be very smart to know what his trouble is. The man is exhausted. A small man can be just as exhausted as a great man. He works for a company thirty-six years this March, opens up unheard-of territories to their trademark, and now in his old age they take his salary away.
(taken from, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller)

I will always remember one line in the play Death of a Salesman.
Attention must be paid.

How often we forget!

The weight of providing for a family day in and day out is enormous.
The provider lives between two worlds.
The world of work and the world of home.
These two worlds cannot be conflated.
They are vastly different.

What is this attention that must be paid?
Respect, honor, gratitude…love!

Thank you.
I appreciate you.
What would we do without you?
You’re doing a great job.

Those affirming words are a healing balm.
They need to be said.
They need to be heard.

We often go about our days without a thought.
Many tasks are done on autopilot.
That is never acceptable when it comes to gratitude.

Gratitude should be on the tip of our tongue.
It should be spoken with sincerity.
It should always be in our heart.

Gratitude is the antithesis of entitlement.
We should be amazed at the myriad of blessings bestowed on us each day.
Undeserved grace.

Attention was paid to the Son.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”
(Matthew 3:16,17)

It was so important for Jesus to hear those words spoken by His Father.
He was beginning His public ministry…that would lead Him all the way to the cross.
Jesus, fully God and fully man, was affirmed by His Father.
Attention was paid.

After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters – one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:1-5)

It warms my heart to think that Jesus received that affirmation from His Father.
Attention was paid.
An admonition was given to His disciples: Listen to Him!

The best way to pay attention is to listen.
It seems like such a small thing to do, but it is vitally important.
Listen with your whole being.
Listen to what is said and what is not said.
Don’t complete the sentence in your mind before the other person finishes.
Love them by listening to them!

A provider is not the only one living between two worlds.
Augustine described it best: The City of God and the City of Man.
We, who are in Christ, live in the City of Man while also being citizens of the City of God.

We have our feet in two places.
It is impossible to conflate the two.
They are vastly different.

God the Father pays attention to us as we live here in the City of Man.

O Lord, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. (Psalm 139:1-3)

Do we pay attention to the Father?

Obey Me, and I will be your God and you will be My people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you. But they did not listen or pay attention; instead they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. (Jeremiah 7:23,24)

We love best…when we listen well.
“This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”
Attention must be paid!