I called my dad this morning. This is an amazing thing, in and of itself. It’s a long story that you can read about here: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four.
I was joking around about how I’m kind of afraid to shave my beard because Evie likes to pull on it so much. Also, what if she didn’t recognize me! My dad reminded me that, even in the womb, a baby starts to recognize her mother’s and her father’s voice. I was even thinking about how, in a church full of people and babies, I can hear a cry and know instantly whether it is Evie’s or if it’s another baby’s.
I’ve had a hard few weeks. I’ve been kicked in the gut a few times and have been wearing it on my sleeve. So…like I mentioned before, there was some sort of weird awesomeness that came out of my dad telling me that he would be praying for me– blessing me.
All of this made me think of John 10:3-5…
“…the sheep listen to [the Shepherd's] voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When He has brought out all His own, He goes on ahead of them, and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
Babies recognize their parents’ voices.
Parents recognize their babies’ cries.
There’s something special about hearing a blessing from the voice of a parent.
But, more than that…
Those who know God can recognize God’s voice.
Those who know God trust God.
Those who know God can disregard fake voices.
What am I seeing for us, as orange parents, followers of Jesus…
* Parents, what we do with our voices in our kids’ lives matter. How are you using your words?
* Children of God, which voice are you listening for?
* The two prior points are interrelated. I just don’t think we’re going to have much to offer our kids if we’re not connecting to the Shepherd’s voice in our own lives. You can give what you don’t got!
One of the coolest things is to come home after the day and walk in the door. MK’s usually holding Evie on the couch. The second I open my mouth, Evie turns her head towards me with expectation. She hears her father’s voice.
I should follow her example and earnestly seek the voice of my Father.
