By Roxanne Smith
Voices are so unique. My dad always spoke my name with a certain lilt in his voice. “Well, Roxi,” he would say, with the first word high and then his voice dropping half an octave to say my name. His voice made me feel special. I knew he was happy that I had just walked into the room. We might talk a little while, or play ping pong, or shoot some hoops in the driveway.
My favorite aunt did the same thing. “Well, Roxi.” Aunt Edna would exclaim. Only her voice would start low and go up half an octave to say the first part of my name. I knew that she was interested in my life and looked forward to hearing about it.
Pastor Dan preached Sunday about the voices in our lives. He said some of them — like my dad’s and my aunt’s — are reliable. Other voices are not.
We read in Mark 9 about Jesus being transfigured on a mountain. His clothes became brilliant white, supernaturally bright. Moses and Elijah, who had been dead for centuries, showed up. Peter, James, and John were terrified.
God’s voice from heaven spoke. “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!”
“This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!”
Talk about a reliable voice! The voice of God Himself. Instructing men to listen to the voice of God’s Son. So do I listen? Do I really take Jesus’ voice to heart?
Sometimes I like His voice. When He says, “I love you, Roxanne,” my heart feels it deeply. When He says, “I am your shepherd, and I’ll lead you through your life,” I like following Him.
But when Jesus says, “Your life will include suffering,” I don’t like it at all. I want to distance myself from Him a little. I’m tempted to find another voice to listen to. An easier voice. One that takes my happiness more into consideration. But will that other voice be reliable?
The one thing I know, I truly believe, is that Jesus is God’s Son. I have learned that His voice is true and trustworthy. I’ve read enough of the Bible to recognize it.
Easy to hear? No. Reliable? Yes.
So I’m going with that path, that choice, that voice. How about you?
John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
