Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.
Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’
-Isaiah 30:18-21
Recently I have been working on clearing the “mind chatter” out of my head. We all know what “mind chatter” is….it’s that little voice that tells you that you said the “wrong thing” to your friend at lunch or that the outfit you are wearing is “inappropriate” or that you’ll never be “good enough” for that raise or promotion. That little voice isn’t the one that has our best interest at heart – it is the one that passes judgment on others and is our harshest critic. It crowds our thoughts with chatter so that we cannot hear the more powerful voice of our inner guidance. Our inner guidance shows us the way to happiness. It supports us, guides us and allows us to feel gratitude and compassion for others. This inner supporting and loving voice is the voice of God pointing us on the right path through the journey of life.
During this season of Easter, I have committed to blocking the chatter so that I can more clearly hear the voice of God. Everyday is a chance to listen to the voices in our hearts and heads. Only we can determine whether we let the little voice of judgment and hurt guide us or we tell it to “pipe down” so we can hear the voice of love. In this way we can renew our faith and our relationship with Christ whom God sent out of love for his people.
-Grace Kaynor
Musical Reflection - The Lord Bless You and Keep You - Rutter
"Heed the counsel of your own heart, and above all pray to the Most High that you may be guided in the way of truth." Amen.
Ecclesiasticus 37:13,15
