What does God's voice sound like?

I walked into a restaurant recently, recognized someone and spoke to him for a moment. I moved on toward my table when someone called my name. I turned around and there was another friend. She said, “Even though my back was to you, I heard your voice and knew it was you.”

Some sounds are just more familiar than others, aren’t they? There are three trademarked sounds that I know you will recognize immediately: the NBC chimes, the MGM lion roar, and the Harley-Davidson engine sound. We hear and recognize these sounds quickly, like my friend did with my voice.

But there are some other sounds that we don’t recognize so quickly. What does God’s voice sound like anyway? God’s voice can sound like any voice, at any time, and anywhere. It sounds like goose bumps up and down your spine. Or a baby’s soft breathing. Or an “I love you.” God’s voice is more than a sound. It’s a feeling, too. So listen to life today for God’s voice with your ears, your eyes, and your heart as you make a life, not just a living.

Are you making a life?

Have you ever been so tired that all you wanted to do was sit and zone out in front of the TV? Too worn out to concentrate, you really don't watch anything but spend all your time channel surfing. After about a half-hour of this, you're so exhausted all you can do is stagger off to bed or, worse, don’t make it that far but fall asleep in the recliner. 

Have you ever settled down in your favorite chair with your favorite beverage, your favorite snack, and your favorite magazine, all ready—and you've earned it—to enjoy a little quiet time; only to have a short visitor show up with these big eyes, an impish grin, and say, "Mommy, would you read me a book?" or "Daddy, would you play catch?" or your spouse with a “How was your day, honey?” Now, which helps you make a life: a half-hour with glossy pages about baseball or beauty aids, or a half-hour with a snuggly child perched in your lap or with a budding All-Star in the back yard or spent talking with your spouse? 

Now I know it’s easier to channel surf or read a magazine, but listen to life today for what God has to say and make a life, not just a living.

How's your vacation?

Why is it that to take a week of vacation, so many of us have to do two weeks of work before we leave and two weeks of work when we return? You’re only gone a week! Does the work multiply while you’re gone?

This reality can produce a certain amount of guilt about vacation times. For instance, let’s say you go to the beach, pick up a seashell, and put it up to your ear. Do you hear the soothing tides of the ocean gently rolling in on the shore? Or do you hear, "So you thought you'd get away from work for a week, did you? Don't you feel guilty? Just think of all the work you’re missing. That associate could be moving up to take your place, you know…"

When making a living interrupts your making a life, when work intrudes on recreation, remember that the word “recreation” comes from two words meaning, “to create again.” Your vacation is a time to re-create your spirit, your family relationships, and your passion for life. 

So listen to your life today and focus all of who you are on making a life, not just a living. And enjoy your vacation!