Recognizing The Voice

When I was considering what to write about my parents this week, since they each had birthdays within the last 7 days, I thought of so many little stories. One such story popped in my head that I thought was interesting, but really, only in a different context.

I remember when I had my first job back in high school. I had an after school job as a delivery boy for a local florist. One of my duties as the kid in the store was to make the little boxes that were used to transport flowers from the store. Some were long and narrow, fitting for long stem roses, and others were more square, good for corsages or or smaller arrangements. In order to put these boxes together, I would go upstairs to the attic of the store. It was windowless and uninsulated. It got very hot in the summer, and very cold in the winter. And, you could hear just about anything that happened outside. One afternoon, I was up there making boxes, when I heard a familiar sound. I heard a car door close and a jingling set of keys. That's not unusual since the parking lot was just outside.

After hearing this particular door and keys, I instinctively headed downstairs. Co-workers asked what I was doing when I stood in the room looking toward the front door.

"My mom is here."

My co-workers were looking at each other with puzzled expressions on their faces. I was in a windowless room. How could I possibly know my mom was coming in? This was long before cell phones, so there was no way I could have been tipped off that she was there.

Sure enough, only seconds later, in walked my mom.

As I thought of this story this week, I thought of the level of intimacy and knowledge I had of those simple sounds. The car door and the jingling keys. While every car has doors, and every car requires keys, I recognized that door and those keys. I wasn't even straining to hear this sound. But when it was there, I knew who it was and reacted instinctively.

When I turned my life over to the Lord, one thing I had to learn was God's voice. I know that phrase, God's voice, conjures up spooky thoughts to those who figure I'm being literal and walking around looking into the air above me as if I were looking for UFOs. But for me, I have often experienced God's voice speaking to me. Not some mystical audible voice coming out of the sky or plants, but in my heart. Perhaps at some point, I'll share a story with you which demonstrates what I'm talking about, but for the sake of brevity, (though it might be too late for that now), I'll save that for another time.

My point is to say that we should be so keenly aware of God's voice that even when we're in the middle of something, we recognize His voice and respond immediately and stop to listen. God brought that story to my mind this week, and it serves to remind me of the level of familiarity He desires to have with me. That whether it's in the mundane activities of my life, during quiet moments, or during the storms of life, I will recognize His voice and be drawn to meet with Him.