What voice are you listening to today?
Voices come from many different directions.
If we’re married, we hear the voice of our spouse. If employed, the voice of our boss. If learning in school, the voices of teachers and professors. If reading a book, the voice of the author.
There are verbal voices and nonverbal voices.
People’s words are usually easy to notice. Their voice is verbal. It's the nonverbal voices we need to pay special attention to because they are just as influential, yet often not noticed.
There is the voice of hope and positive expectation. That's a good voice to listen to. But there’s the voice of discouragement, dismay, and despair. This voice is not a healthy guide to follow.
There’s the voice of love, care and compassion. There’s the voice of hate, apathy and anger.
There’s the voice of health, harmony and peace. There’s the voice of sickness, disease, and chaos.
There’s the voice of honesty and integrity. There’s the voice of dishonesty and deceit.
There’s the voice of God. There’s the voice of the carnal mind leading thought away from God.
There’s the voice of Good. There’s the voice of evil.
Which voice are you listening to? Which voice is guiding you? Which voice do you honor with your attention and devotion?
In Truth, there is only one voice, the voice of God. All other claims to authority diminish and cease until they are heard no more.
Until the full realization of Good’s totality is understood, it is wise to ask, “What voice am I listening to today?”
Listen to God, as you navigate through the day--and plan for the New Year! And you’ll be led aright.
“The voice of the Lord is powerful.” Psalms
Showing posts with label voice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label voice. Show all posts
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Judge not according to appearance
You may have seen this youtube video because many people have, but I just love it because it's proof that you should never judge a package by its cover.
Let this woman wow you with her voice...Susan Boyle from Britain
Let this woman wow you with her voice...Susan Boyle from Britain
Monday, December 22, 2008
Listening for God's direction
When making a critical decision, how do you know if you’re listening to God or to blind human will?
This can feel like a tough call to make at times. Last Thursday was one such occasion here on the family front.
Jenna was scheduled to travel to Seattle for a major four day swim meet with her team. Two carloads of swimmers were scheduled to depart that day, each vehicle driven by a coach with 6-8 swimmers in each.
In our part of the country right now, some major freezing stormy weather has descended from the North Bering Sea putting the Seattle area into a traffic-stopping mess, and roads between our home and the population center into icy formidable conditions. In normal weather, it takes 4 hours for us to drive west to the coast, and traverse a high mountain pass in between.
Jenna had worked hard for months to prepare for this meet, had reached exceptional times to qualify, and had been very much looking forward to the event. When the day of departure arrived, the “little voice within” was telling mom and I that we should keep her home. But to tell Jenna the bad news was heartbreaking to consider.
The head swim coach was determined to go storm or no storm at 9 a.m., and the other coach would follow after school with a second carload of girls. Jenna was in the second group, which meant she’d be on the highway in the dark for several hours. Chains were required for 40 miles of the trip, even on 4 wheel drive vehicles.
Mom and I prayed together weighing all the options and considering both sides of the situation, and still the little voice within said, “Keep her home.”
It was a tough prayer because one side argued, “The roads are obviously bad. Stay home.” But the other side argued, “You can make this demonstration. Pray for her safety. Know all will be well. They’ll travel slowly, but they’ll also make it safely.”
See what I mean?
We weren't sure whether we were caving to fear or listening to wisdom.
To stay home seemed like admitting defeat, to a degree, possibly conceding to a mortal mind effort to stop Jenna from participating in a marvelous swim opportunity.
But the voice of wisdom cried, “Don’t tempt the Lord! The roads are dangerous and its not wisdom to push activity beyond the range of what you’re not confident in demonstrating with absolute certainty.”
In making a decision about my daughter’s safety, I did not believe there was room for even a slight chance. I would send her to the coast, only if I was absolutely sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that all would be well. And I did not have that absolute certainty.
Then mom had a great idea. She said, “Let’s talk to Jenna about it.” So we went into her room and told her the thoughts and concerns we were wrestling with. We told her honestly that we weren’t sure what the best decision was. We asked for her opinion.
She agreed that wisdom said she ought to stay home. We talked about not missing out on opportunities when making the apparently right decision at the moment. And to our delight, she agreed to stay home and let it all go. She was quite free about calling the coach and telling her to leave without her.
As scheduled, both carloads departed on time that day and headed for Seattle with all but 2 of the swimmers—our daughter and one other whose parents had come to the same conclusion as we did.
The weather got worse that day as the hours advanced. It took drivers 8 hours to make a 4 hour trip. They did make it safely, as we expected! And this is an interesting part of this decision. We told Jenna that if we let her go, we figured she would arrive safely. It would take a long time, but she would arrive without harm. And if she stayed home and the rest went, they would all arrive safely too, swim, and get back home safely. But it just felt like it was wise to stay home. This was as far as we could mentally see at the moment.
Jenna made other plans that evening with friends, and when she got home, we quizzed her about the carloads of swimmers and how long it took to get to Seattle. Teenagers these days are constantly in touch with each other through texting. Now that’s a whole other blog…
She casually replied, “Oh yeah, they all arrived safely, but the meet got canceled.”
Suddenly, I knew we had listened clearly. It was obvious at this point, the roads in Seattle were so terrible, that even local residents couldn’t get to the meet. The authorities hadn’t figured that out until late in the evening. But the voice of wisdom had it figured out much earlier in the day.
I was humbled for it had been a very tough call between acting wisely and not caving to fear.
How to tell the difference? One word comes to mind—peace.
When trying to decide what to do, I searched for peace within about my decision. If I felt any turbulence, angst, or tension, I knew I hadn’t listened clearly to God yet. Every time I thought about sending Jenna over, I felt a degree of tension within.
When I sided with keeping her home, I knew she would miss a key event, but I also knew there were no lost opportunities, and Jenna came to that conclusion too. We all felt the greatest peace together about staying home. We did not collectively feel peace about her going.
The Bible tells us, "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."
God is always telling us what to do. The challenge is to be in such a calm and receptive state of mind that we clearly hear the divine direction. To hear clearly, we must silence impatience, anger, and even fear for these are attitudes of stubborn mortal mind that blind reason to the way of wisdom.
It was tough to hold Jenna home when 95% of the team went without her. But the inner voice said, “Don’t send her.” And a great peace took over when we agreed to listen. In the end, we were glad we listened. And the rest of the team made it home safely, as expected! But a bit road weary for the adventure.
This can feel like a tough call to make at times. Last Thursday was one such occasion here on the family front.
Jenna was scheduled to travel to Seattle for a major four day swim meet with her team. Two carloads of swimmers were scheduled to depart that day, each vehicle driven by a coach with 6-8 swimmers in each.
In our part of the country right now, some major freezing stormy weather has descended from the North Bering Sea putting the Seattle area into a traffic-stopping mess, and roads between our home and the population center into icy formidable conditions. In normal weather, it takes 4 hours for us to drive west to the coast, and traverse a high mountain pass in between.
Jenna had worked hard for months to prepare for this meet, had reached exceptional times to qualify, and had been very much looking forward to the event. When the day of departure arrived, the “little voice within” was telling mom and I that we should keep her home. But to tell Jenna the bad news was heartbreaking to consider.
The head swim coach was determined to go storm or no storm at 9 a.m., and the other coach would follow after school with a second carload of girls. Jenna was in the second group, which meant she’d be on the highway in the dark for several hours. Chains were required for 40 miles of the trip, even on 4 wheel drive vehicles.
Mom and I prayed together weighing all the options and considering both sides of the situation, and still the little voice within said, “Keep her home.”
It was a tough prayer because one side argued, “The roads are obviously bad. Stay home.” But the other side argued, “You can make this demonstration. Pray for her safety. Know all will be well. They’ll travel slowly, but they’ll also make it safely.”
See what I mean?
We weren't sure whether we were caving to fear or listening to wisdom.
To stay home seemed like admitting defeat, to a degree, possibly conceding to a mortal mind effort to stop Jenna from participating in a marvelous swim opportunity.
But the voice of wisdom cried, “Don’t tempt the Lord! The roads are dangerous and its not wisdom to push activity beyond the range of what you’re not confident in demonstrating with absolute certainty.”
In making a decision about my daughter’s safety, I did not believe there was room for even a slight chance. I would send her to the coast, only if I was absolutely sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that all would be well. And I did not have that absolute certainty.
Then mom had a great idea. She said, “Let’s talk to Jenna about it.” So we went into her room and told her the thoughts and concerns we were wrestling with. We told her honestly that we weren’t sure what the best decision was. We asked for her opinion.
She agreed that wisdom said she ought to stay home. We talked about not missing out on opportunities when making the apparently right decision at the moment. And to our delight, she agreed to stay home and let it all go. She was quite free about calling the coach and telling her to leave without her.
As scheduled, both carloads departed on time that day and headed for Seattle with all but 2 of the swimmers—our daughter and one other whose parents had come to the same conclusion as we did.
The weather got worse that day as the hours advanced. It took drivers 8 hours to make a 4 hour trip. They did make it safely, as we expected! And this is an interesting part of this decision. We told Jenna that if we let her go, we figured she would arrive safely. It would take a long time, but she would arrive without harm. And if she stayed home and the rest went, they would all arrive safely too, swim, and get back home safely. But it just felt like it was wise to stay home. This was as far as we could mentally see at the moment.
Jenna made other plans that evening with friends, and when she got home, we quizzed her about the carloads of swimmers and how long it took to get to Seattle. Teenagers these days are constantly in touch with each other through texting. Now that’s a whole other blog…
She casually replied, “Oh yeah, they all arrived safely, but the meet got canceled.”
Suddenly, I knew we had listened clearly. It was obvious at this point, the roads in Seattle were so terrible, that even local residents couldn’t get to the meet. The authorities hadn’t figured that out until late in the evening. But the voice of wisdom had it figured out much earlier in the day.
I was humbled for it had been a very tough call between acting wisely and not caving to fear.
How to tell the difference? One word comes to mind—peace.
When trying to decide what to do, I searched for peace within about my decision. If I felt any turbulence, angst, or tension, I knew I hadn’t listened clearly to God yet. Every time I thought about sending Jenna over, I felt a degree of tension within.
When I sided with keeping her home, I knew she would miss a key event, but I also knew there were no lost opportunities, and Jenna came to that conclusion too. We all felt the greatest peace together about staying home. We did not collectively feel peace about her going.
The Bible tells us, "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."
God is always telling us what to do. The challenge is to be in such a calm and receptive state of mind that we clearly hear the divine direction. To hear clearly, we must silence impatience, anger, and even fear for these are attitudes of stubborn mortal mind that blind reason to the way of wisdom.
It was tough to hold Jenna home when 95% of the team went without her. But the inner voice said, “Don’t send her.” And a great peace took over when we agreed to listen. In the end, we were glad we listened. And the rest of the team made it home safely, as expected! But a bit road weary for the adventure.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Where is God?
I sought to hear the voice of God,
And climbed the topmost steeple.
But God declared: “Go down again,
I dwell among the people.”
~ Louis Newman
And climbed the topmost steeple.
But God declared: “Go down again,
I dwell among the people.”
~ Louis Newman
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.~ Jesus Christ
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The Voice
I’ve never read or seen the book “A Voice is Calling,” by J. G. Marking, but this excerpt from the book’s introduction is intriguing:
"There once was a man who lay in his bed and couldn't fall asleep at night. No matter what he did, or thought in his head, nothing seemed quite right. So as he thought and wondered what could possibly keep him awake, His heart stilled and his mind silenced and he felt a gentle quake.
I want more.
And as his eyes opened wide his soul began to breathe, A gentle whisper in his ear: "I know what I heard with those simple three words, But something's troubling me here. However obvious those words may seem, Their message isn't clearly defined. Because I know, deep down in my soul... The Voice that spoke wasn't mine."
"There once was a man who lay in his bed and couldn't fall asleep at night. No matter what he did, or thought in his head, nothing seemed quite right. So as he thought and wondered what could possibly keep him awake, His heart stilled and his mind silenced and he felt a gentle quake.
I want more.
And as his eyes opened wide his soul began to breathe, A gentle whisper in his ear: "I know what I heard with those simple three words, But something's troubling me here. However obvious those words may seem, Their message isn't clearly defined. Because I know, deep down in my soul... The Voice that spoke wasn't mine."
Friday, September 15, 2006
Are you or God doing the talking?
Found an excellent piece by Linda Douty on silencing all the noise in our head that prevents us from hearing the voice of God. She points out that external commotion is only one distraction to spiritual communion with the divine. There are other types as well, including our own talking, orally and internally.
While praying have you ever removed yourself from all external noise but still had a mind full of confusion, argument, dismay and worry? That’s the internal voice of mortal mind still chattering away preventing us from listening to God. We need a total lockdown on mortal thoughts to truly hear God and discern the divine direction.
And there’s the other aspect of being physically quiet and filling thought with praise and gratitude, but perhaps, still not truly listening to God.
Douty comments,
Who’s doing the talking in your thought today--you or God?
While praying have you ever removed yourself from all external noise but still had a mind full of confusion, argument, dismay and worry? That’s the internal voice of mortal mind still chattering away preventing us from listening to God. We need a total lockdown on mortal thoughts to truly hear God and discern the divine direction.
And there’s the other aspect of being physically quiet and filling thought with praise and gratitude, but perhaps, still not truly listening to God.
Douty comments,
“…we can't hear God if we're constantly talking; so we commit to spending more time in prayer and solitude. Even then, we are apt to fall into a distorted definition of silent, listening prayer—one in which our mind keeps talking to God, petitioning, thanking, adoring—good things, certainly, but still prayers controlled by us, the product of OUR efforts. We've simply decided to close our lips! And the internal chatter continues..."
Who’s doing the talking in your thought today--you or God?
