I hear voices… all the time.
I’m betting you do too.
Each and every day we’re bombarded with voices of all types. Our spouses. Our co-workers. Our kids. Our friends. Our parents.
Their words don’t simply bounce off our foreheads. They enter our ears and stick around for awhile. Sometimes for a very long time. Sometimes even without our permission.
This is true for all of us. But a little piece of wisdom I’ve begun to pick up is asking myself the question, “What voice am I listening to?”
This is a question I’ve been rolling around in my head for a while. And what I’m realizing is that your answer to this question matters. A lot.
Some of the voices are speaking in the present. And some may even be speaking from the past.
If the conditions are right, it’s entirely possible that something your co-worker said 2 hours ago is just as present as your wife’s voice over dinner.
Heck, you might even have voices that are still rocking around in your head from 2 decades ago.
For some crazy reason, the voices we allow in our life seem to stick. It’s as if our brains have a magnetic strip that catches anything that someone says to us — and especially about us.
What I’ve been learning lately, though, is that what matters most is which voices you listen to.
Which voices do you embrace, internalize, and then speak over yourself?
Which voices do you not only listen to, but which voices do you lean into?
Some of us obviously have had it worse than others. Some of us grew up with abusive voices, and some are still living with abusive voices today.
Regardless of your situation, again, the key is to ask yourself what I began this post with: “What voice are you listening to?”
I still struggle with this a lot. I’m grateful for all the voices in my life, but at the end of the day, I’m learning I have to give appropriate weight and priority to the voices.
For example…
My wife’s voice of encouragement should weigh more than the discouragement from a rough day at the office.
My kid’s voice of joy should matter more than what I can find scrolling through social media.
My Father’s voice, should count more than all the other competing voices combined.
God’s voice spoke me into existence — along with every other living thing in this universe. He crafted me (and you) with intentionality and care. He knows what makes us tick… what makes us special… what makes us unique.
No matter what voices are ringing in your ears these days, I want to encourage you to tune into your Father’s voice. He knows you better than you know yourself.
He sees your gifts. He gave them to you.
He sees your weaknesses. He’s not afraid of them.
He knows your hearts desires. He’ll purify them.
This process of choosing the voices you listen to isn’t easy. But I think this is one of the reasons why Jesus wants us to internalize what we read in the Bible.
He wants to teach us the language of His love and His grace. Scripture is not just a bunch of old history lessons, it’s our Heavenly Father’s voice speaking life and encouragement over us (John 6:63).
If you want to live out your God intended purpose, I don’t think it’s possible to do so without first learning to lean into His voice.
There are far too many negative, controlling, and dissenting voices in this world to be successful without a foundation of encouragement, love, and hope in your life.
You don’t want to live your life based on the foundation of your voice, or anyone else’s for that matter.
Trust in your Father’s voice. It will stand the test of time.