Listen To The Right Voices

Listen to the Right Voices

Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God.

John 8:47

If we attempt to live up to others’ definitions of how our lives should go, we carry their accusing voices in our heads and mentally replay them when facing a new challenge. If I had paid attention to those voices in my own life, I wouldn’t have accepted the offer to become an editor, made a cross-country move, or written books. But occasionally, especially when I’m tired or discouraged, I do remember the old taunts. On those days, I try to remember the account Kim Crabill tells about her son Trey, who pitched the deciding game in a Little League championship. On their way to the stadium that day, Kim sensed his anxiety and asked what was wrong.

“I hate it when the other team’s fans yell at me,” he confided.

“Do they come onto the field and yell in your face?” Kim asked, feigning naiveté.

“No.”

“Can they take away your ability?”

“No,” he conceded. “But they make me feel bad, and I can’t concentrate.”

“Don’t listen to the voices,” Kim said. “Look at your catcher. Think about that next pitch. The voices can’t stop you. But they can cause you to stop yourself.”

Two hours later, the game had come down to one final pitch. The batter had two strikes against him, the tying run was on third base, the winning run on second. On the mound, Trey leaned toward home plate, studying the catcher’s signals for this last pitch. Then the fans for the opposing team began jeering, “Loser! You’ll never get it over the plate!”

But Trey narrowed his eyes, nodded at his catcher, went into his windup, and delivered strike three to win the game.

Like that young pitcher, most of us face challenges from time to time. And often we, too, hear the jeers. Sometimes those voices come from the past, sometimes they come from the present. But they can thwart our most determined efforts if we let them.

So when we’re facing a tough time, we need to remember to pray, read the Word, and seek godly counsel. But let’s also make sure we’re not listening to the voices that can drag us toward defeat. —SANDRA

Lord, I’m grateful those old mental tapes don’t have the power they once held, but I can still hear them when I’m discouraged: You’ll never amount to anything. Or You’re out of your league. Or Women aren’t supposed to do that. Help me to concentrate on your strengthening, loving words and, thus, drown out those old lies.

We can overcome disillusionment and disappointments in our lives. God has given us everything we need to knock down barriers and overcome obstacles.

—THELMA WELLS, AUTHOR, SPEAKER, AND BUSINESSWOMAN