When God Speaks

One thing I learned soon after I was married is that when God speaks and really wants to get my attention, He doesn’t just say something once. Maybe it is because He knows I don’t catch on quickly. Or maybe it is yet another facet of His amazing grace and mercy.

I have found that God echoes. The same scripture, idea, or theme will reappear in different places in front of me. Maybe I’ll hear it on the radio, then read something at random, chat with a friend . . . and each time I’ll be confronted with the thought or idea that God wants me to hear.

As a result, it will become so clear that God’s hand is at work in my life because no one else could orchestrate things like this so that these little things, all together, become a BIG message.

Take my house for example. Let’s say that I talk to a friend who mentions how much more she is enjoying life now that she implemented a new chore system. Then I switch on the radio and hear a bit about how important chores are to children learning responsibility. Later on I pick up a newspaper that my husband left out and my eyes fall on a headline about chores that catches my interest.

God is echoing. He is speaking. Will I listen?

When my house gets cluttered with messes that need attention I find that my stress level rises into the red danger level and I won’t be able to handle additional things that come my way in the same manner I usually would. In other words, my fuse is too short.

Let me hone in on my example. Say that Dessaly has plans to be gone, Kiley gets an invitation to babysit, Haley needs to practice guitar before her lesson that afternoon, I need to work one-on-one with Luke, and . . . you get the idea. If my house has mess issues, I don’t respond to all this in the way I want to. But, if my house is clean, the additional activity won’t even faze me.

How I handle all these activities is directly related to the condition of my home.

Messy Home =Messy Mind = Short Fuse

Clean Home = Clear Mind = Normal Fuse

When I mentor women I always try to help them identify the root cause of the frustration. In my example, the root is not the messes. That is the result of the root problem; in this case that would be house work. Have I kept up with my work and are the children keeping up with their chores? Why do we have messes? If the answer is that the children are not helping then some chore upkeep is in order.

When I remember that my responses to life are directly related to the condition of my home, then the importance of our chores takes on a whole new meaning.

“If Mama Ain’t Happy; Ain’t Nobody Happy” When we all keep up with our chores, we are all happier! Life is more fun, my heart is at peace, and I can handle the next thing that happens (the washing machine breaking, the flu, or the van breaking down) with grace.

The persistent voice of God in our lives—this Echo—is quiet and can be better heard when we make it a point to slow down, shut out the surrounding noise and distractions, and really take the time to listen.

King David, who wrote most of the book of Psalms, gave us a model for meeting with God, “Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul,” Psalm 143:8.

Every morning David was looking for God’s direction. Ladies, we need to take the time to meet with Him, seek Him, and learn to listen for the echo. He may be quietly shouting to you.

What ‘echo’ from God do you hear?