Voices in my head . . .

Lately, I’ve been bombarded by voices. Voices of the past, voices of uncertainty, voices of fear, of inadequacy . . . the list goes on and on. And I’ve spent a lot of time trying to drown out those voices by ignoring them, escaping them. Movies, music, books, whatever will take my mind away from the issue at hand. But escapism offers no solutions, only momentary respite from the cacophony within my head and my heart. I no longer want to cover the voices, I want them silenced. But how?

There is a Voice that drowns out all the others by speaking Truth. Though it’s difficult to hear it through the ever-growing din of lies and half-truths, it is there, constantly speaking Truth over me, if only I will choose to hear it, to really listen to it and believe. “. . . and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” (John 10:3b) The Shepherd’s voice should be familiar and comforting, calling me beyond the mere noise of the enemy.

Have you ever seen a child lost in a public place? Above the noise of the crowds, the child is only listening for one voice, hoping to home in on the voice of his parent, praying for that voice to lead him to safety, to peace, to his father’s arms. That’s the ear with which I am now striving to hear my Father’s voice.

Everyone has voices with which they must contend. The situations may be unique, but the messages are essentially the same. The thing we must do is recognize the Truth the counters the lies.

Lie: I’ve screwed up so much. There’s no real hope for me.

Truth: “God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.” I Corinthians 1:30

Lie: I’ve been like this all my life. There’s no way I can change that now.

Truth: “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” II Corinthians 5:17

Lie: Why would God want to bother with my little problems? He’s got bigger things to worry about.

Truth: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard you hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Lie: I’m just one insignificant speck in this world. I have nothing of value to contribute.

Truth: “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” I Corinthians 12:7

And the list goes on. I pray that we all will hear His voice over all the others that clamor for our attention. And I pray that the Truth that only comes from Christ will be the only thing that guides our thoughts and our actions.