Jonah.

I read it and I hear about obedience. God says "go to Nineveh" and Jonah goes.
Another reads it and hears about trust and perspective. Jonah worries about the plant and doesn't see the city.
Yet another reads and hears about relationship wth God. Jonah wasn't exactly 'in-line' with God, and yet was still hearing God.

From just one story, God speaks to us in such different ways.

So often, I read a passage of scripture and I decide what it must be about. And I assume that it must be about the same thing for everyone else. However, when I stop and really listen for God as I read, it is remarkable what emerges. God uses the story to speak to each of us, to encourage and affirm, and to teach and challenge us.

From really listening to the others in my group, I also hear God speaking to me. Although I may not have heard it directly in the story, after someone shares beside me I begin to think about what has been said. About what really prevents me from hearing God. What are my barriers, or are they merely excuses?

When I must only listen - to God and to others - I am always surprised, and challenged, by what I hear.