Monday, September 8, 2008

USE YOUR INSIDE VOICE, PLEASE

My little guy has started talking in a very loud voice. He knows it gets him attention and he doesn't seem to mind - especially when he has to compete for attention with his little sister. I continually have to tell him that I hear him, that I see him and that I care what he has to say - therefore, he doesn't have to talk so loud for me to care/hear/see.

As I read in Matthew 6 (vs. 1-18), it seems like Jesus is saying the same things to us. He talks about giving to the needy, praying and fasting.  Jesus says : "When you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets . . . When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men . . . When you fast, do not look somber, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting."

Jesus seems to say, "don't show off to get attention from others". He seems to say, "I see you when you are quite - when others don't know how you give to those in need, when you go to your room and pray to me, when no one knows that you are fasting." He seems to say, "I like your quite, inside voice."

2 comments:

Grace Chapel Youth Ministry said...

i agree but aren't there times where his loud crazy voice delights your heart, or where a scream launches a special sense of urgency in you heart, God likes the inside voice, but i think he likes the other voices to

Carol said...

you are absolutely right, I kind of went to an extreme, huh? There are times to use an "inside voice" and many more times to use any kind of voice. great insight.