Whose Voice Is That?

Yesterday, during my lunch break, I decided to sit back and watch an episode of The Andy Griffith Show.  I enjoy the fun, clean comedy almost as much as I enjoy seeing actors who were "nobody" at that time but went on to play powerful roles and become household names in the following years.

On this particular episode, there was a door-to-door salesman that had not appeared in any earlier episodes.  It didn't take me long, however, to realize that I knew the actor.  But try as I might, I could not figure out who he was.  In fact, to look at him, I didn't recognize him at all.  But his voice.  There was something about his voice.  It was driving me crazy, so I determined that if I hadn't figured it out by the end of the show, I'd look it up on IMDB.  (I don't know about you, but that sort of thing drives me nuts!)

As the show neared its end, I decided to try a different tactic.  I closed my eyes and focused on the voice, nothing else.  That was all it took.  Immediately, I had my answer, and I understood why I recognized the voice and not the face.  The actor was the original voice of Winnie the Pooh.  No wonder I was having such difficulty!

As I thought about it later, I realized that I have the same problem quite frequently in life.  In fact, few days pass by without me uttering the question, "Whose voice is that?"  That may sound a bit crazy, and this will sound even more so:  I hear voices on a regular basis.  Voices that tell me what to do, where to go, what to think and how to feel.  Voices that make excuses.  Voices that complain.  Voices that argue.  Voices that console, convince and connive.  And amidst all that noise, there is only one Voice of Truth.

With every decision I make, I have to stop and ask myself, "Whose voice is that?"  You see, I want to ensure I'm in the Lord's will.  I want to be certain that I'm following His path and not my own.  I want to ensure that His voice is the one I'm heeding and not one of the myriad of other voices droning about in my head.

Unfortunately, I don't have the advantage of looking up IMDB and discovering whose voice is whose.  I do, however, have the advantage of learning to recognize the Master's voice.  It isn't easy, and it certainly takes time, but as with any learning experience, the more time I spend at it, the more I will be able to recognize.  The more I listen to Him, the more familiar His voice will become.  And who knows, maybe there will come a day when I don't have to ask, "Whose voice is that?" for I'll know without a shadow of a doubt.

And it won't be Winnie the Pooh!

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: - John 10:27