A thought from Jason
August 20, 2000
You Sound Like Him
The interesting thing about growing up is that your body, your mind, and your maturity changes drastically. I remember when I was a kid; I attended a Christian school called Yucaipa Christian School. It was a great environment for learning and making friends. But there was something that came upon me with no warning. I had no experience in this field and my reputation at school was threatened by it. What was it? Hormones. Yes, you can read it again if you want, but puberty hit me like a bread truck and my voice started to crack, squeak, disappear and sometimes reappear with a deep monotone intonation.
So, my voice started to change and my friends didn't know how to handle it. By sixth grade my voice was lower than any of my other friends and they made fun of it, laughed and even tried to imitate me, which is something I laugh about now. I remember at my sixth grade graduation, I had planned to sing with the choir at school, which I had been a part of since fourth grade. I had the opportunity to speak at my gradation and then the choir was about to perform. I took my place among 10 other girls, (I was the only guy in the choir) and began to sing. What I found out though was that I could not hit the high notes anymore. I tried, (oh believe me I tried), but my " new" voice kept me from returning to my past high child like voice. I remember just mouthing the words until we were done and the crowd of proud parents clapped for us.
You see all young men and women go through changes. In my case, my voice dropped and as the result I sound like my dad. Many a time people have called my house and said, " Hey Mike, how's it going?" I have to admit it's tempting to play along, but I always have to tell them, " No, it's not Mike. This is his son, Jason". Then comes the expected part of the conversation, " You sound so much like your dad". At first I thought, why do I sound like him? I can hear myself talk and I don't think I sound like him. But over the years I have come appreciate the fact that I bear a legacy in my very body; and that legacy is my dad's voice.
Now think, if you have accepted Christ, you have something inside of you. The voice that commanded the seas to appear, the air molecules to form, and the very bones of your body to form. His voice has been heard since the dawn of time. It commanded light to be. It commanded Moses to save the people of Israel. It roared across the hill of Golgotha when He said, " It is finished". The same voice that is inside you commands the sun to rise and to set. The voice inside of you, designed you, made you who you are, and loves you. The voice that loves you is Jesus Christ the Son of the living God.
Now let me ask you a question, Do you sound like your heavenly Father? Do people hear you and say, "You sound like Him"? Has your walk with God grown to the point that its time for you to start living like Jesus, talking like Him and acting like Him. If so, ask the Lord to guide you to maturity. And in your maturity, you will find something, your voice will be erased and the Lord will give you His words, His direction, and His love to speak and show others. So is your voice cracking? Is it going away? Watch out, people might see Jesus in you.
Colossians 3:16 " Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
Colossians 4: 6 " Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned as it were with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person".
Have a blessed day.... Jason