Voices. They are everywhere, aren’t they?
Some clamor for our attention, and are hard to drown out. Others are quiet, and are barely heard beneath the noise of this world.
Some are worth listening to. Others are not.
Some voices speak truth to build up and encourage. Others tear down and destroy.
Friend, what voice are you listening to today?
We have a choice. Will we listen to the clamoring voice or the quiet one? The one full of lies or the one full of truth? Or the one that encourages or the one that destroys?
The enemy of my soul screams at me, “You are worthless. You can’t do anything right. Give up and give in.”
But, there’s a still, small voice that draws me in, whispering, “You are mine. You are worthy. I’ve given you everything you need. Keep following me.”
I stopped to see my brother in the hospital yesterday. He’s conquering the side effects of an injury and a stroke. (Long story… a post will share more details here tomorrow.) He also has a choice of which voice he will listen to. The voice that says, “You’ll never be able to do the physical things you once did. Give up,” or the voice that whispers, “With me, all things are possible. I have you in the palm of My hand. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged. I am with you.”
A fellow farmer also stopped by while I was there. He carried in a white piece of paper, and told Steve he could read it when he had time. It was filled with hand-written words of encouragement and life. Words of hope and promise. Words that argue with discouragement, and counteract despair.
I found out later this man recently lost his wife of many years. At his advanced age he’s learning how to cook and do laundry and keep the finances. Through his pain, one could clearly see which voice he’s listening to. He showed up to encourage and bless another.
Listen closely for that still, small voice.
Friend, shut out all the other voices for a time and just listen. The more we hear it, the more familiar it’ll become. It’ll be the only voice we find worth listening to. And as we do, we’ll likely help others listen for it as well.
Much love,
Julie
This post is part of Five Minute Friday. Where we free-write for five minutes on a one-word prompt. It’s not perfect writing, but we let the words flow and come together. We gather and encourage at Kate’s. I invite you to venture over there and read all the amazing posts, centered on the word LISTEN.
Your post encourages me to just have a little sit and listen to my new music album. I really appreciated the story of the older gentleman giving when he was still in need. Thank-you.
Great reflections here. So true that there are many voices fighting for our attention. We have to be intentional about choosing which voice we focus on and listen to, and it makes such a difference when we hear God’s still small voice.
It is so easy to get caught up in all the noises. We need to stop and listen to gods still voice.
This is beautiful. Much needed after a tough week.