Overcoming the Noise
Last week, I participated in a spinning class at the local Bally's fitness center. For those of you who are not familiar with a spinning class, it is a room filled with stationary bikes, that is led by a slightly sadistic teacher who pushes you to different types of pedaling. The result is 45 minutes of pain, sweat, and swearing not to eat another cheeseburger!
During the class, I noticed that the instructor was about 7 feet from me, but I had trouble listening to her instruction. If you have ever been to a class like this, you know that there is music blaring in the background and the sounds of the machines themselves. However, to compensate for this, she was wearing a state of the art microphone. Despite the crystal clear quality of her voice through the microphone, I found myself watching other riders because I was missing her instructions.
As I thought about this, I began to realize that this was a lesson on our spiritual fitness. You see, sometimes the noise of my life (external pressures, relationships, worries, etc) crowds out the voice of God. God is speaking and is clear, however, due to the noise, I only get bits and pieces of what he is saying. An incomplete revelation is frustrating and often misunderstood.
The truth of the matter, is that it was not the external noise that keep me from hearing the instructor. It was my internal noise. My own thoughts, my internal conversations, my perseverating on past conversations, my questions, my prayers, my projections, etc. It was these things that kept me from focusing on the voice of the instructor. I began to realize that it is not the external things that are drowning out God, but my own internal turmoil that adds to the noise. In order to hear from God, I must quiet myself. I must get outside of my own conversations to hear and to receive.
Maybe you are in a position where you need to hear from God. It is not because he is not speaking mostly, but because its too noisy to hear. You can take steps to quiet your noise, both external and internal in order to increase your focus. Challenge yourself to quiet your noise and be attentive to what God has to say.
God bless you, and watch out for the spinning classes,
Pastor M Traylor

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