"What does God’s voice sound like"

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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.

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"Do other people tick you off sometimes?"

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Do other people—the ones you work with or live with or drive beside or go to soccer matches with or stand in line at the grocery store behind—do they really bother you sometimes?

I’m sure that just about every day some person does something that gets to you. How do you react? What do you say? How do you think? Why are you feeling that way?

One of the most significant—and difficult—spiritual behaviors I practice as an important part of listening to life and making a life, not just a living is to have a forgiving attitude. Most people—not all, but most people—are simply doing the best they can in life with what they have. Sure, they can improve. But so can I. Sure, I can see what they can’t. But somebody can see what I’m blind to.

Today, give someone a free pass. Just say to yourself, "He’s doing the best he can right now." And watch your stress slip away as God forgives you and through you as you listen to life and make a life.

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"Do you encourage?"

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I sat in one of those comfy chairs in the mall; the kind they put there for Dads when they’re sent out of the clothing store for asking, "What about this?" for the hundredth time. And so I sat watching people go by.

One family had a toddler who was just catching on to walking. She would take a few steps, her face lighting up with the biggest, prettiest smile you’ve ever seen, and then all of a sudden, she lost her balance and sat down. Her family encouraged to get up and try again, which she did; her smile resplendent once more. After a few more steps, she’d plop down, then stand up and give it another go. She spent just about as much time on the floor as she did walking. But with her family’s encouragement, she kept trying. They knew that one day she would walk without falling.

Today, someone around you is going to fall, make a mistake; blow it. Avoid criticizing them. Instead encourage them, believing that one day they will get it right. Listen to life and encourage someone just like God encourages you.

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"Do you just say no?"

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Earlier this month, a couple in the area where I live came over to get their yellow Labrador Retriever puppy, one of Princess’ puppies that we raised. They were so excited and so was their daughter who was about 18 months old.

She toddled along, babbling to herself, and every now and then I’d recognize a word or two. Actually I recognized just two words: "DaDa" and "No." Of course, she says, "DaDa" because it’s easier to say than "MaMa" and "No" because she hears it all the time for her own protection, to keep her from hurting herself as she explores her world.

Somewhere along the road to adulthood, it seems to me some of us forget how to say "No." Instead of "No," maybe you say "Yes" to some things that you shouldn’t. For instance, instead of saying "Yes" to a project someone volunteers you for at work, say, "No, I just don’t have time to do that right now." Or, "No, I can’t get my life wrapped around one more thing right now."

Listen to life today for God your Heavenly Parent guiding you as you toddle along. Make a life, not just a living by just saying "No."

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"What kind of clock do you like best?"

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So what kind of clock do you have? Is it a digital clock, the kind where you can watch the seconds rush by? The computer program I use to record my radio show has a clock on it that goes down to the thousandth of a second. Talk about time flying! On that clock it really moves on.

Or maybe you have a non-digital clock, the kind with a sweeping second hand. It marks the passing of time in a more fluid, but nonetheless fast manner. After all, time stops for no one, right?

My favorite kind of clock is an hour glass. Some of them are true hour glasses and are rather large. Others are smaller and mark just ten minutes or so, but they function the same: grains of sand, or something like it, drop down from one side of the glass to the other. The grains drop one at a time.

And that’s all you really have when it comes to time, isn’t it? One second. One moment. One hour. One day at a time.

That’s why I really like hour glasses. They remind me to make the most of my life as I listen for God and make a life one moment at a time.

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