the voices…
Dear LFP Family and Friends,
I want to say one thing: I hear voices.
No, I don't mean literally. I mean, when I sit down to pray, to listen to the voice of God speak in Scripture or in the quietness of my silence, solitude and stillness…I often feel so distracted by so many other things in my head. And not just distracted, sometimes other voices that are not helpful:
What does the dog need? (make sure you're being a good dog owner)
Am I hungry right now? (only healthy things, not that thing you really want)
Why did I sleep so bad last night? (you're not practicing good sleep hygiene)
What am I going to say to _______ about _______ ? (they won't like you if you confront them)
When can I mow the lawn? (you're really behind on things that make a good homeowner)
Why do I keep doing that thing I don't want to do? (it sure seems like this holiness and sanctification business is taking a lot of time with you, am I right?)
Do you see what I mean? Can you relate?
C.S Lewis, in Mere Christianity once wrote this, one of my favorite quotes:
“It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes [and fears] for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.”
This resonates with me and reminds me of what Henri Nouwen is emphasizing in his book Life of the Beloved, which we are reading alongside the first chapter of Ephesians. Nouwen is teaching that there is a voice of God that is calling you and I the Beloved. This is the core voice. The most essential voice.
The problem is we have so many other voices that seem to be cursing us, rather than blessing us.
Nouwen writes:
"Still, I say to you, as the Beloved Son of God, you are blessed. Good words are being spoken to you and about you -- words that tell the truth. The curses -- noisy, boisterous, loud-mouthed as they may be -- do not tell the truth. They are lies; lies easy to believe, but lies nevertheless." (Henri Nouwen, Life of the Beloved, pg. 75)
How can we hear and claim the blessing?
That's what I want us to think about this weekend. I'll give you a hint: we've gotta start somewhere. And we could benefit from some consistency.
In the meantime, I am excited to get some time at our Spring Prayer Retreat this Saturday morning to pay closer attention to this Voice.
I hope you can find time this weekend to listen to that Voice.
Remember, you are the Beloved. May that truth sink deep into your heart today.
With joy in the journey,
Jeff