For Goodness Sake

You know that little voice inside your head?  The one that makes comments and suggestions throughout the day?  Not the same utterance as the sound of your own thoughts, but the mouthpiece that seems to come from outside yourself?

Maybe you don’t have one, but I do.  In fact, I’m not sure if I could function without that little voice.  It is more than a conscience  or an expression of reason.  It is a caretaker, an accountability partner, a friend.  It reminds me of forgotten appointments, brings attention to details I’d otherwise miss, and keeps me generally on the right track in life.  To answer your question: No, I’m not schizophrenic; and my invisible friends skipped town after kindergarten.  I haven’t heard from them since.  I’ve merely grown accustomed to hearing and responding to the voice.  (Although the amount of time I spend talking to myself causes more than a little concern in my family.)

Responding  to the voice does not equate to agreeing with the voice, however.  On numerous occasions, I’ve stubbornly argued, mentally shouted down, and altogether disregarded the voice and it’s nagging insistence.  (Maybe that accounts for some of my self-talk.)  Upon each quarrel with my obscure advisor, I rationalize my actions and viewpoints letting my preferences rule in the end.  I may walk away in triumph; but I also walk away in trepidation.  Because, experience has taught me, the voice is usually right.  Later, once I get a fresh reminder of this truth, I hear myself asking, “Why didn’t I listen to the voice when I had the chance.”

Today the voice spoke to me while I was driving.  It encouraged me to let that person in the other lane over, even though I needed to hurry to my destination.  The voice obviously wasn’t aware of my tardiness or the importance of arriving on time.  Just as my thoughts opened their hypothetical mouths to disagree, a Greater Voice reminded me of a verse from the Bible I had read earlier in the day.

“Whatever is good . . . comes down to us from God our Father . . .” (James 1:17a, NLT)

Suddenly, a light bulb appeared above my head.  When it comes to bringing goodness into others’ lives, the voice I live with everyday is an agent of The Greater Voice.  Letting someone proceed me in my lane offers a little bit of God’s goodness to the world.  This verse declares that, in an act of goodness, God’s virtue is flowing directly from above, thru me, to others. It’s not my goodness, it’s His.

As a Christ follower, I should eagerly adopt the notion of doing good for the sake of goodness itself.

This realization will forever change the way I view the voice.  I pray that I will be more sensitive to its’ good intentions and respond with a willing heart.  We do not always get a direct opportunity to participate in God’s goodness to others.  May I never turn down the chance to be his agent in someone’s life.

Are you in touch with your voice?  What is it saying to you?