Consider This: Which Voice Has Your Attention?

You can listen to the voices around you that say, “Compare. Compete. Try harder. Do more. Have more. Look like this. Be like that. Show off and brag about how great your life is, or at least pretend your life is better than it is so that others will be impressed”. You can do that, but it will bury you! You cannot win that game! Someone will always have more, look better, be smarter, or have been to more places. It is difficult to enjoy your life when you are focused on comparing and competing.

You can listen to the voice of discouragement and negativity. It is not hard to find things to complain about. It is easy to point out the failings of the person who tried. Unfortunately, the voices of discouragement seem to carry more weight and are louder than any other voice. You can receive a thousand compliments, but you will remember the criticism. There is always something to be thankful for, but most people do not bother to look for it. It is easier to be negative.

Sometimes, the voice that shapes us the most is the one that is missing. Some are still waiting for their parents to say, “I love you” or “I am proud of you”, but those words of affirmation never come.

What if we heard a different voice? Like, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Or maybe, “Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5). Or this one, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Would hearing God’s message of love change anything?

It did for a man named Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). In fact, it caused him to think, act, and respond completely differently. He found a joy he had never known. That new voice changed not only his life but also his eternity.

The good news is that you get to choose what you listen to.

A new voice can lead you in a better direction.

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