Voices
When is it that we begin listening to what the world says about us? The world tell us that in order to be happy or “good enough,” we need to look a certain way, dress a certain way, or attend a particular school. Our mindset can quickly change from remembering and receiving that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, to thinking we are just not enough. What is it that we truly see of ourselves when we look in the mirror or listen to that inner voice? Do we see the warrior with the full armor of God and the fruit of the Spirit? If you are honest, your answer is probably “not always.” How is it that we, as children of the King, can get discouraged, and doubt our gifting and our worth?
“Others may throw the past in our faces, but God never will, and His is the voice we need to listen to in life.”
David was an ancestor of Christ. He was a shepherd, a king, a soldier and poet. Although he was called “a man after God's own heart,” even David struggled with self-doubt. We all have a back story of who we are, where we come from and how we were raised. The words that have been spoken to us can be the very ones that we hear again in our soul, over and over. These voices could be the sound of a loving and gentle encouragement or the ridicule of a previous experience. It could be the sound of a roaring crowd as you hit the winning shot or the echoing sound of the person that finds fault in all you do, no matter how hard you try. In the end, whose voice wins when it comes to how you see yourself?
When God looks at you, He doesn't see the bank error you made, the job you lost or your failure yesterday to treat your spouse the way Scripture commands. He removes your sin when you ask for forgiveness. We are the ones that hang on to the all of the guilt, that sit in our shame, that refuse to forgive ourselves.
Others may throw the past in our faces, but God never will, and His is the voice we need to listen to in life. His voice gives and speaks life. His voice proclaims unconditional love, love that would sacrifice His perfect Son for you.
If you’re having trouble sifting through the voices and listening to God’s alone, try this: spend time with Him.
A mommy can recognize the sound of her own baby over other babies. She knows her little one’s voice because that is her baby, and she has spent time with and loved on that baby. Our Heavenly Father knows you and wants to spend time with you. He wants you to marinate in His truths, reflecting on Scripture, songs and words of truth that reinforce how much you mean to Him. When you spend time with Him, you will begin to recognize His voice above the racket of other voices.
This is a hard time of life, when many have lost jobs or feel isolated. In a world that has never been “more connected,” we also have never been more at a loss for community. Life can be beautifully hard. It is 20% experience, and 80% how you let those experiences affect you. Will you let your struggles inspire you to reach for the Bible and soak up heart and head knowledge of how God feels about you, or will you listen to the enemy that wants to steal, kill and destroy?
Katie Wood is a church planting pastor’s wife in Brunswick, Maine. She enjoys encouraging pastors’ and church planting pastors’ wives through her life coaching practice, 29:11.