Word of the Week: Noise
With Spring weather upon us, it has been so tempting for me to drive around town with my windows down. The pollen has been enough to talk me out of it, but after a few days of good rain enough of the pollen had washed away that it didn’t seem like the craziest idea. I put my windows down and felt that rush of fresh air. What a wonderful feeling after winter! I drove for a while before I realized that I liked the idea of driving with my windows down more than actually driving with my windows down. Why? I live right on 29, which means I have to take the highway anywhere I go and driving on the highway makes for too much noise. I can’t hear my radio – or even hear myself think – over all the noise.
On Sunday Steve Hohenberger opened John 10:1-18 for us, where Jesus declares himself to be the good shepherd. He is our access to God. Since that sermon, I’ve been reflecting on verses 4 and 5. The sheep hear their shepherd’s voice and follow him, but they don’t follow the voice of a stranger.
Like a shepherd, Jesus continues to call to us. He calls to us with a voice of nurture, pointing us towards the green fields of life. He calls to us with a voice of discipline, warning us away from those things that would steal our life. If we listen, we can still hear our good shepherd guide us to greener pastures. But many other voices compete for our attention too. We have voices that cry out to us, telling us to think of ourselves first or telling us that this sin or that sin isn’t such a big deal. So, I’ve been wondering: Can we hear the voice of our shepherd over all the noise? I have two thoughts in response to that question.
1. We should cut down on the noise – Sometimes we need to break away from all the noise and go to a quiet place so we can more clearly hear the voice of our shepherd. What’s your escape from all the voices? What do you do to cut down on all the noise?
2. We should be mindful of the noise – We should be aware of all the voices that are trying to get our attention and what they’re trying to tell us. Do you notice the influence they have on you? If we don’t notice the series of voices trying to get our attention, it’s likely that we don’t notice how much attention we’re giving them either.
The shepherd calls and his sheep follow. Are you listening for the call of your shepherd?