“Help! I’m drowning in an ocean of thoughts,” I complained to my mentor, Don.  

“There are three voices in our heads.” Don stared like a wise owl into my eyes. “They go by many names. You wrote about them in your blog a while back.  Do you remember what those voices are?” (Check it out by clicking here):

“The Voice of Love;

the monkey mind; and

the unholy one’s voice.

That’s what I’d call them today,” I replied.

Sometimes, in the midst of life’s daily struggles, it’s hard to understand which voice is speaking to us. The voices mumble-jumble like gibberish in our heads. Our emotions, our past wounds, and our struggle to figure out life, battle within us.

If we don’t stop and sort out which voice we’re listening to, we can become overwhelmed, even shut down emotionally as we put our hands over our ears, shake our heads, and yell, “Stop!”

A beloved friend is struggling in his relationship with his mate. They both have deep hurts that have destroyed the bond of trust between them.

I’ve tried to walk alongside them, nudging, encouraging, and inviting them to ask the deeper question: “How is God using the struggle to help you grow?”

Their conflict has lasted for weeks. While I see breadcrumbs of grace along their path, my impatient spirit has lost hope. The three voices in my head cluck like a flock of roosters crowing in a barnyard, and I can’t hear the Voice of Love above the din.

I brought my frustration to God during my Quiet Time one morning. I asked the Creator to help me hear his Voice.  

At first there was nothing. The roosters clucked louder.

Then I felt something in my stomach. Something in me moved like a gentle breeze flowing from my belly, swirling up into my ribcage, through my lungs, and into my head. “See? I make all things new,” the Spirit’s gentle voice whispered. I knew it was the Voice of Love.

The image of Christ on the bloodied path to Calvary, beaten and bruised, carrying his heavy cross, painted my imagination. I envisioned Jesus stopping on the path to meet the eyes of his grieving mother. “See? I make all things new,” he gasped with the breath of a man about to die.

What does that mean? How do those words apply to the suffering in my friend’s life?

The Spirit whispered softly in my heart. “I am healing their wounds. Be patient. Keep praying and walking alongside them. I am with them. I am transforming their suffering with love. Resurrection is on its way. You just can’t see it yet with your physical eyes. Trust me with the eyes of your heart. See, I am making all things new.”  

My heart smiled. The Voice of Love had broken through the din of noise in my head.

Several days later, I learned my friend and his mate had repaired their relationship. They grew because of their commitment to work through their conflict.

When the voices in our heads become overwhelming, when  the mumble-jumble of our thoughts become gibberish, stop. Enter into the silence. Invite God to help you hear the Voice of Love. Let that Voice lead and guide you.

See how the Voice of Love makes all things new.

Practice:  Sit in a quiet place. Close your eyes. Take several deep breaths. Then, place your hands on your stomach.  Listen with your heart to the voices in your head. Which one is the Voice of Love? Let it speak to you.  

—brian j plachta
brianplachta.net