They Shall Know My Voice

This is my Dad

Once upon a time I wasn't a missionary.  Save your gasps for later, there's more.  I used to work at a fast food restaurant as a cashier.  One day it was in the middle of rush hour, orders were coming in on the double from the drive through and the front and I was frantically trying to make shakes, fill orders, bag fries, and deliver food all at the same time.

With a dozen things calling for my attention and demanding my energy, I had blocked out all of the distractions from beyond the counter.  But everything I was doing came to a screetching halt as a familiar noise cut through the din of the dinner rush.  Freezing in my tracks I pivoted towards the sound.  "Dad!"  I exclaimed in surprise.  There in the middle of all those people, was my dad.

What was the noise that caught my attention?  A cough.  A simple, little, genuine cough coming from a person I had known and lived with my entire life.  You would think that a little noise like that wouldn't be heard above the din of the restaurant, but because I knew him so well, I immediately heard it.  We had spent a lot of time together and so I recognized the sound of his cough.

This experience reminded me a lot of the parable that Christ shared with His apostles about shepherds and sheep.  He said, "...he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 

"To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 

"And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 

"And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers."

Sheep can recognize the voice of their shepherd because of the amount of time they have spent together.  Christ has said "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."  He is showing us in this parable that those that are followers of Christ will respond readily to His words and counsel because of the time they have spent together.

Now, this world is a busy one.  There are plenty of distractions around us.  I'd write a list, but I'm sure you could come up with a longer one.  It's hard to be able to hear the quiet promptings of Christ when we're busy focusing on other things.  Yet there is a way.  Just like my father's cough cut through the din of the fast food restaurant, Christ's voice can cut through the worldly pleasures and catch our attention.

How?

It takes time.

This could be seen as an impossible challenge because He doesn't live on Earth currently, we can't walk and talk with him physically just yet.  So how then can we spend time with Him?  The answer is to study the scriptures.  In 2 Nephi 32:3 it says, "...wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."

The Book of Mormon and the Bible contain the words of Christ.  When we take the time to study them, we will be drawing nearer to Christ.  We will learn His will, and over time we will come to recognize more clearly His voice.

Sounds simple, right?  Reading a little bit of a book every day?  Perhaps there is something grander that we must do.  And yet, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass."  It is a small thing, but with it comes the great peace and direction that comes from drawing closer to Christ.  If it's been a while since you've opened those pages, will you do so today?  And if you've never had the opportunity, will you make the time to try it?  The scriptures have changed my life, and I'm looking forward to the change I will continue to make as I seek to know Christ more fully in my life.