voices

There are so many voices in each of our lives telling us so many different things that it’s easy to become paralyzed. It’s easy to get stuck and confused and overwhelmed. We become so fearful of making the wrong decision that we don’t do anything at all. Or we gather so much information but don’t know what to do with it.

This is no way to live.

A dear friend of mine is struggling to make a big decision largely because of the cacophony of voices speaking to her from all angles, perhaps the loudest ones in her own mind. I advised her to listen only to her own voice, but what if even your own voice is conflicted? Who’s voice can we actually, truly trust? Who is the ultimate authority in our lives, the One we can turn to when nothing else makes sense?

It’s an easy Christian answer, of course, but not as easy to live out. Even God’s voice can be hard to decipher among the rest–especially when we are so used to listening to all the rest and letting them be louder. It’s easier to listen to the peripheral voices than to the Main One, because that requires effort. It requires the intentional work of quieting our souls and reading His word and discerning what He is speaking to our hearts. We have to dig.

I’m realizing I’ve been letting too many voices into my own life–good, helpful, uplifting, encouraging voices–but too many nonetheless. When I’m listening to so many others’ voices, my own and God’s gets drowned out. There is so much wisdom in listening to other voices, but never at the expense of hearing from God Himself. We can listen to all the podcasts and read all the books and follow all the influencers on Instagram and become numb to the One True Voice.

Why do we fill up on the substitutes when we have the real food available to us?

I think it’s spiritual laziness, quite frankly–at least in my case. I know the best stuff, the stuff that all the other voices are really just echoing, is in His Word. I have the very source of life accessible to me and yet I choose to listen to the echoes. I’m not saying the echoes aren’t useful and important (what I am writing to you right now is an echo!)–I’m saying that when we fill ourselves up with these voices instead of filling ourselves with God’s voice first, we are filling up on emptier calories. Why do we fill up on the substitutes when we have the real food available to us?

I’m a fan of substitutes; I’ve been gluten-free for a long time. But I will say this: there is nothing as satisfying as the crunchy crust and delectably soft insides of fresh-baked, gluten-full bread. The gluten-free bread satisfies the hunger, but it doesn’t satisfy the soul as well as that gluten-y bread. It’s the same way with God’s word. It is designed to nourish us completely. External teachings and voices are good supplementally, but never as the main course.

No matter how loud all the voices sound in your life, remember that they are just that–voices. You don’t have to listen to them. You can let them confuse you or fill you or make you lose your mind, OR you can tune your ears to hear His voice. You can discipline your mind and heart by consistently reading His word and talking to Him throughout your days. You will begin to recognize His voice among the others. You will become familiar with His loving tone and the nudges of His Spirit. The other voices won’t sound so important and urgent anymore.

I’m still learning to do this. In a world where we have every possible voice available to us, some days it can feel impossible. We’re no longer subject only to the voices in our immediate circles, but to the whole wide world of the internet. With so many potential voices to listen to, now more than ever we have to protect our minds and hearts.

Often God’s voice does come through other people and mediums–I’m absolutely not discounting supplementary material or friends and advisors that speak truth into your life. But when we are overwhelmed by too many voices, we know where to go to be sure we are hearing from Him first and foremost. Reading His word will clear away the cobwebs and shed light on which of the other voices are true and worth listening to.