Voices

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Reflections

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Posted On April 1, 2017

Do you ever hear a voice, not in your head, but in your heart?

A voice as familiar as your mom’s calling you for breakfast as you lay snuggled in bed.

A voice as deep and strong as your dad’s telling you he’s proud of you as he holds your toddler face against his chest after you took your first step.

A voice as reassuring and comforting as that of your soulmate as you said goodbye to your parent at the edge of their earthen grave.

Among the multitude of voices we hear each day, there’s another distinct voice different from all the others. It has a tone, a resonance, a vibration that we can only hear when we become still and listen deeply. It rises within our inner body—our heart—and speaks to us with words of love, because it is the Voice of Love.

I believe that Voice is real, not because I can explain it, or even say it has an audible sound. But rather, I notice and experience it at times. It is becoming a familiar friend. A whisper that rises like mist from within my lungs penetrating softly into my heart.

It guides me, encourages me. It tells me when to move forward and when to pull back. It creates itself in and through me. And speaks to me of who I Am.

I have heard others speak of this Voice. Perhaps it may have been the same Voice the Son of God heard in the desert, or in the Garden of Gethsemane, or upon the cross as he demanded an answer to why he had been abandoned. And to which after hearing that Voice remind him he was with him always, to which he opened his Heart.

—brian j plachta

Written by Brian J. Plachta

Following the Breadcrumbs God Leaves Along Our Path

What if God is speaking through ordinary moments more often than we realize?

A conversation that stays with us. A door that closes. A quiet nudge we can’t quite explain. An unexpected invitation that seems to come at just the right time.

The challenge is learning to notice these moments before we have any idea where they’re leading, and trusting the next step.

Over time, we may begin to see that God’s guidance doesn’t always come as an answer. Sometimes, it comes as a trail.

What to Do When God Seems Silent

Has silence ever made you feel like God is far away? When we feel this way, it’s easy to start looking for answers or waiting for a clear sign. But prayer can also be as simple as slowing down and noticing what’s already here. The breeze. The waves. Your breath. The quiet. God’s presence doesn’t always come through words. Sometimes we just need to be still enough to notice.

Let God Alone Define You

Ever have someone’s words get stuck in your head?
Maybe they criticized you, misunderstood you, or told a story about you that doesn’t feel true. And before long, you’re holding a courtroom in your mind—defending yourself, replaying the conversation, wondering if maybe they’re right.

There’s another way.

Bring it into the quiet with God.

Ask: Is there something here I need to learn? Is there something I need to own? And what was never mine to carry in the first place?

We can stay humble enough to receive the truth without letting someone else’s opinion become our identity.

Because in the end, God alone defines you.

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