Voice or Noises?
12/30/13
The question posed in the title of this article can
provoke many responses. The way we
answer that question can determine how we view life and what kind of lives we
live. It is important for us to hear
voices for they can provide health, happiness, or even destruction. The consequences of us not heeding or
adhering to our voice of authority can lead to our destruction. History has revealed that when we do not
listen to the voice of God our expectations of humanity go up in flames and
this is an issue that we need to change.
Even with all of the hustle and bustle of life’s surroundings we can
still fine tune our spiritual ears well enough to listen to our Creator and to
secure a complete life through Him.
There have been a few stories that have come across the
news sources that have brought hope to many lives that cannot hear
properly. While there are numerous
hearing conditions which impair the ability of a person to hear correctly,
there are some technologies available now that can stop, reverse or override
these negative effects. One example of
this technological development is a cochlear implant which when activated
allows the ear to function in a normal capacity and brings sound to the
recipient’s ears. There was a news story
not too long ago where a child who was suffering from a congenital condition received
a cochlear implant. Before the implant
the child could not hear anything and was completely deaf due to the condition
that he was born with but after the surgery the implant changed his life
forever.
The parents agreed to have a video made of the moment
that the implant was activated which was then agreed to be placed on the
internet as a testimony of hope for thousands around the world who suffer from
similar conditions. The video was
powerful because as the cameras began to roll, and the implant activated the
child’s face immediately lit up with excitement and a smile came over his face
almost at the same time. The child’s
father then spoke his name and the child turned his head in the direction of
his father and the grin on his face grew by leaps and bounds. The room was filled with tears of joy, and
claps of approval began to ring about the room from the medical staff. The doctor did some final checks on the
implant and not too much longer and the family was allowed to leave and go home
with their son that was now able to hear.
A couple of questions arise with this type of setting and
the first one is most of us have no problems with our hearing and for the most
part will not have any problems with this part of our anatomy. But can you imagine how that young boy must
have felt to be able to hear things for the first time and all of this being
allowed to occur because of the knowledge of someone else and their
capabilities to put into practice a device that would help someone hear? The endless things that this child will learn
now, you know, the ones that we take for granted each second of every day? His world has now become alive all because he
can hear what is actually going on.
After he gets older his parents will allow him to play by himself and to
walk down a city sidewalk without fear of never coming back because he will
have the ability to navigate the streets without help. All because he has the capacity to hear
sounds around him.
When we attend to another person’s voice we form a
temporary communication link that serves a specific purpose. That purpose of this link is to come to terms
with what each other is trying to get across to the other party and while there
are other methods of communication that humans possess, having the ability to
hear what others are speaking to you speeds up this process tremendously. But do we always understand what the other
person is trying to convey to us or have we already preconceived what we want to
hear before their words leave their lips?
It is a special art in listening and even though it might seem to be a
simple process, what we hear may not be what we want to hear. The boy who now can hear due to modern
technology will now be able to hear everything that the world is saying, but
not all of these voices are as such, many of them will turn out to be just
plain noise.
How many of you hear your parents’ voices when they call
your name? How many out there ever knew
that they were in trouble just by the way their parent’s called out their
name? What about when they used your
middle name, did that mean anything to you? Sure did to me. J How about on the opposite end of the spectrum
could you tell when they had good news for you?
All of these examples and many more like them gave either a warning to
us or promoted happiness within our lives and it was all due to our ability to
hear their voices.
I still hear my dad’s voice today, even if he is not even
in the same state. It is not a bad thing
but a comforting one to my life since my dad and I have a good relationship
with each other. Now, there might be
some issues that we do not completely agree upon, but even having the
capability of hearing his voice inside my head reassures me that his presence
is still within my life; I revel in this knowledge as well. See, being able to hear my father’s voice in
my head lets me know that I have understood what he has been trying to get
across to me all of these years and that is to reason things out and listen to
the voice of wisdom before I act on things.
When I heed his words then that means I am putting into place the things
that he taught me and following those guidelines that he wanted me to
understand. As I have gotten a tad bit
older I look back now and wish that I had listened more to him and included
many more areas of life that he wanted to share with me.
I still have the privilege of having both of my parents
around me and in my life but I also have the confidence that when that sad day
reaches me and they are gone that I will still be able to hear their voices in
my head continuing their guidance and wisdom when certain circumstances
arise. To this day I still continue to
seek my parent’s advice on matters and I continue to learn from their wisdom on
a daily basis. My point to this portion
of the article is that hearing a voice of reason and wisdom proves to be
invaluable to a person when those trying times arise for this voice is a
constant one and a steady one that provides solid evidence to either avoid
destruction or to limit destructive path while you travel through it. It is the ears that allow your inner spirit
to understand wisdom and to remember the voice of truth when times become tough
and it is the voice of our Creator that we need to hear when our paths are
about to collide with reality.
There is a popular Christian group out right at the
moment named Skillet that many of the younger generations may recognize. They have a new song out entitled “American
Noise” and it is a fantastic song that enhances the topic of this article and
it also leads into the second important question of the article as well. There are so many noises that our ears are
subjected to on a continual pulse and this pulse can seem overwhelming at
times. All of us have just wanted to run
from this scene and lock ourselves into a quiet room and just sit and revel in
the quietness of an empty place. It
seems like we can then reset our brains and think clearly once again. But the question that this raises is one that
puts into light to which voices that we are allowing to rule our minds and to
what effect do these voices have on our ability to make sound judgments?
The world will never relent on its endless and mindless
talents of noise for bringing noise into our lives is the only way that the world
can gain access enough to influence our decisions. Even reacting and running from all of the
noise results in a benefit that the world has against us and costs us greatly
in our walk in life. We have no choice
but to be a part of this world yet it is our choice to allow the noise of the
world and our society deafen us to the point that we cannot hear the voice of
our Creator. These noises prove
difficult to hear what specific people are trying to convey to us and if we continue
surrounding our ears with many voices then eventually we will lose track of the
one voice that we want to hear. This is
where focus comes into play and keeping our spiritual ears open to the voice of
God and what he is trying to say to our lives.
We must first have a good enough relationship with God in
order to hear His voice within our spirit.
And once this relationship is established then the danger is somewhat
lessened as long as we continue seeking and remembering His voice in our
hearts. It is when we allow the entertainment
of other voices that approach our hearts that it becomes dangerous because we
while we are allowing the other voices to grab our attention we lessen the
voice of God and of reason. I am not
saying that we have to isolate ourselves from the world, for that is an
impossible task to contemplate but we can lessen the noises that we hear from
the world by drawing closer to God in our relationship with Him.
It is just like hearing me father’s voice in my head even
when he is not around. It is the
relationship that we have between us that continues his voice even when he is
not around. Ask anyone who has lost a
grandparent, parent, etc and they will tell you that they still hear that person’s
voice protruding in certain situations.
It is a normal response from our insides and it is this same type of relationship
that God desires to have with us. When
we allow this type of relationship to develop with God the desire to al God to
work through our lives will save us many heartaches and burdens as we continue
the course of life. Hearing His voice of
wisdom will prove to be the perfect tool that we need to chip away at all of the
junk that the world throws at us.
We become vulnerable to the world and its leader when we
fail to recognize and hear our Father’s voice.
It is so easy to get caught up in the world’s settings and without even
realizing our circumstances fall into the rap that has been laid before
us. When this occurs God has not
forsaken us or stopped trying to get our attention. It is because we have turned our focus away
from Him and began to listen to the other noises around us that take us away
from His voice. Our ears are a gift that
we need to make sure we take care of with the correct applications. God’s voice does not change nor will His
voice become in any manner threatening, but it will be a small still voice that
provides direction and a steady course that will give us a way out if we are
listening.
It is not too hard to find God’s voice and it is not hard
to hear His voice either. A common question
is how to hear His voice and it is like this:
when you hear a voice that goes totally opposite to what the world is
promoting, that is His voice. When you
hear a voice that wants you to have compassion with other people, that is His
voice. When you hear a voice that says
repent for I love you, that too is His voice.
When you hear a voice that says that what you are doing is wrong; yep,
you got it, that voice is His voice. Are
you listening for this voice or are you honing your ears on the voices, sounds
and noises of the world? God will allow
you to choose the voice that you listen to and He will also allow you to
experience the results of that choice.
The world’s patterns are set into place and its leader our eternal enemy
but God will still allow your choice to be heard throughout the heavens, just
as loud as His voice is calling you to be restored.
It is easy, the choices you have are of the world or of
God both of which are acceptable because it is your choice. One choice will lead to a miserable and
confused life because of the environment in which that choice rests upon. The other will go against the flow of the
world and even though things might seem a bit tougher, true peace and
tranquility will rule your life that will provide you answers to every question
when you listen to the voice of our Father.
Our Father’s voice is a neat experience and one that will change your
life forever. The voice of the world
will lead to destruction and a life so self centered that one will spin around
in circles just to try and understand one point. The world is not free, but God is and He
offers this freedom to you. All you have
to do is look for Him and then tune your ears towards His voice and the
restoration process is guaranteed to begin.
DLB
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