Who Do You Listen To?

Recently a huge media outbreak was heard across the world regarding the Kony 2012 campaign. If you haven't heard about this yet, it means that you are not on the computer much, you don't participate in social media's, and once again you are my hero. Or maybe,quite possibly, you're camping out under a rock somewhere, and in that case can I come and join you? I'm joking of course, but either way, if you haven't heard about Kony and you are interested, you can watch the video about it here a few posts below. I think that this post will make more sense if you do.

Moving on...

With my recent awareness about Joseph Kony, I was reminded again about a conversation that I have had many times with My Giant, My Fab 4, other youths(New Girl quote... Schmitt... YOUTHZ... that was for you Shontell) and, well now with you.

The topic here that I want to talk about is who do you listen to? And not just listen to, but who do you obey? That word obey might throw a few of you off, but let me explain.
When my kids were little a friend of ours used to say to her children, "Listen and Obey." I stole that phrase from said friend so quick and adopted it as my own, because... it's not just listening that we need from our children but obedience. We need our children to listen to what we say first, and then we hope they choose to obey. So in regards to us grown children in life, we listen to a lot of people out there, but who do we obey. Or if you really can't get past that word obey, then who do you prefer when it comes down to making a decision about your life?


When the world at large has so many opinions about every topic under the sun, who do you choose to listen to? You can take one topic like the Kony Campaign and spin it a million different ways, but in the end who do you choose to believe? Who's opinion means more to you? Do you listen to the boy in the video who's brother was killed by Joseph Kony, or do you listen to The woman from Uganda clearly defending the country that she loves? Or maybe, you choose to live under a rock... dunno.



This week I read a passage from the bible, found in 1 Kings 19 that reminded me once again who I should listen to, and who I should obey. After watching something like the Kony video, you can't help but listen to the cries of innocent children, but how should I respond was my thought? This passage reminded me not only of WHO I listen to, but again, HOW I should listen. When other voices are so loud, what I should listen for was found there in 1 Kings 19? I think we have to begin there on this topic, because some of us don't even realize we are listening to anything that directly affects the decisions that we make. Some of us have been so far removed from the author and finisher of our faith, that we have forgotten how to listen for when he speaks.

The story that is referenced here is the story of Elijah the prophet. The chapter before 19 talks about Elijah's astounding faith and trust in God, and then so quickly he forgets how to listen. He listened to faith in chapter 18 and in the beginning of 19 he is listening to FEAR. Oh how FEAR can motivate, but that's a topic for another day. Elijah, He is tired of life. He is weary from the evil he sees in the world. He is ready to curl up into a ball and die because the evil seems to be too BIG, and he feels so small. He is ready to live under that rock. And this is what happens;

"Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave."

This is a famous scripture that speaks to us all about how we can hear God. When we don't know who else to listen to, we should wait for the whisper. God is usually not in the big windy storms of media, he's not in the earthquakes of news shattering YOU Tube videos, He doesn't generally speak through the Fire of Nancy Grace(sorry Mom), but in the quiet gentle whispers to our souls he speaks to us all.

What he says to you might be different than what he says to me, and that's okay.

What you feel led to participate in I might not touch with a 10 foot pole, and that's okay.

What he quickens in your heart to become a passion for life, might not make sense to me, but that's okay.

When faced with a decision about who it is you should listen to, wait for the gentle whisper.

He will always speak LOVE.
He will always motivate on the side of GRACE.
He will give HOPE.

And He will be In the gentle whisper.

He speaks to us all in a whisper to our individual souls and whether we choose to respond is what makes the world a better place. When we listen to the Lover of Our Souls, The world changes. He will always speak, we just have to quiet out the other voices to hear the whisper.

Listen for the whisper.