My Voice

I observed a great little moment recently. I went to pick up my baby daughter from the childcare room at our gym. Above the chaotic hum of a room full of other kids playing, my little 7 month old heard me calling her name. Her back was to me, but she quickly turned her petite little body to face me, and with a smile bigger than her pacifier, she started her mad-dash to crawl to me as fast as she could. All of this happened in just a few short seconds, but this moment will be permanently secured in the file cabinet of my brain.
As a mom, this makes my heart soar. As a Christian, it reminds me of the importance of our ability to hear God’s voice.
Adi was busy playing in the midst of a full room of kids running around. She had so much to keep her attention. But the minute she heard me calling her name, she dropped what she was doing and came running…well crawling actually…to me. She recognized my voice. She heard me call her name. And she responded.
Jesus said that the sheep know his voice and come when he calls. (John 10:26)
How did my little girl become familiar to my voice? She hears me all the time. Ever since her little ears could hear, my voice was there. I bet you can see where I am going with this…
We have the wonderful opportunity to know and hear God’s voice so well we can distinguish it from a crowded, chaotic world. We have the chance to be so familiar to his voice, that our attention can be grabbed despite the distractions that surround us. So, how do we become familiar to God’s voice, just as my little one knows my voice?
We spend time listening to him.
We spend time learning about him.
And we spend time loving him.
Once we can recognize God’s voice above the chaotic hum of our world, let’s take off running...or crawling…to him with a great big, double-dimple smile. Let’s get so used to God calling our names that the fancy games, fun people, and loud noises don’t drown out his voice.