We all have an inner voice that whispers to us. What does your voice say? Only recently have I become aware of some things my inner voice has been saying to me for much of my life. One thing in particular has been a recurring theme:
“Don’t do anything stupid!”
So I listened to my inner voice. Too well.
- I didn’t take many chances.
- I didn’t follow all my dreams.
- I didn’t move out of my comfort zone.
- I didn’t trust my early feelings of faith.
- I didn’t risk forming new relationships.
- I didn’t let my guard down with others.
- I didn’t tell people that I cared for them.
But I did over-analyze, and hesitate, and play it safe, and distrust, and keep my feelings to myself.
Hearing Your Inner Voice
Can you hear your inner voice? It’s there. You may be so used to it that you don’t even notice it any more. But it is there, and it does affect you. More than you know. What does your inner voice say to you? Maybe it says things like:
- You’re ugly.
- No one loves you.
- You deserve being hurt.
- You’re a screw up.
- You’ll never amount to anything.
But sometimes your inner voice is wrong. Very wrong.
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” (Vincent Van Gogh)
That voice of discouragement could be your fears or insecurities talking to you.
Such a voice could have originated from someone who was once mean to you, or an early traumatic experience, or unrealistic stereotypes you have accepted as reality.
It might even be an evil voice, one that whispers lies into a silence in your soul.
This doesn’t mean our inner voice is always wrong. At times, it may breathe hope, or joy, or peace, or wisdom into our consciousness. Sometime, it may even be the voice of God.
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” (John 16:13)
Try becoming more self-aware of these inner conversations to discern God’s voice talking to you. And when you hear that negative voice you have become too familiar with, that dark whisper that has haunted you all these years, ignore it. It’s a lie.
Instead, replace it with the truth:
- You are beautiful.
- You are capable.
- You are loved.
- You are worthy.
- You have a hopeful future.
I know what I’m going to do the next time I hear my inner voice. Pause to examine it, and then replace it with the truth and something positive. Left alone, our inner voices can deceive us our entire lives. If we let them.
Question: What does your inner voice say to you?
Action: The next time you hear that negative voice, make a choice–don’t listen.
