What if you were whole and did not even know it?

What if you were listening to so many outside voices that the truth was hiding underneath the noise?

Thousands of messages hurl towards us at breakneck speed. We give an audience to the ones that bring the most immediate attention or demand the quickest response. Unfortunately, many messages are negative. They make us feel like we need to earn more money, lose more weight, prove ourselves one more time, the list goes on and on. All the while, our Father in heaven is going unheard.

God continually says things like, “You are good. You are mine. You are forgiven. You matter. I made you on purpose. I will protect you. I will provide for you. I will fulfill all your needs. You will be satisfied with me.” God desired for us to be whole and worked to see it accomplished. Then, He continually proclaims that wholeness over us. Unfortunately, we do not hear His voice, and over time, we drift from being whole to being fragmented.

Erica and I are no different. Over the years, the difficulties of life have shouted to us. With the continual weight of Kennady’s care pulling us down, we have had plenty of opportunities to become discouraged. It is easy to get depressed!

We cannot go anywhere without considering how we will take care of Kennady. Taking a family vacation is almost impossible because of travel limitations. For example, there are changing tables for infants and small children in virtually every public space. However, there are no changing tables for 18 year olds. Kennady requires a full handicapped accessible shower and chair. It is easy to give up on a persistent challenge like this; it is easier just to stay home all the time.

If the physical toll was not enough, we also deal with frequent emotional tidal waves. We have family members who make fun of others by using the “r word.” Think about that for a second. They have known us for decades. They know all about Kennady, yet, they indirectly insult and devalue her with cheap words. A few years back, a friend told a group of us a “short bus” joke. The butt of the joke was that people with special needs ride on the “short” school bus. When that happened, I stared him in the eyes and said, “You do realize that my daughter rides the short bus?” He apologized profusely, but the damage was done.

These are just a couple of real-world examples that we face in our world with Kennady. These scenarios are not only challenging to suffer through from a practical standpoint, but a continual barrage over the years reinforces a loud message that we are not going to make it. They figuratively say things to us like, “You have no future. You cannot sustain this. You will run out of money. No one understands you. No one has the capacity to be your friend. You need to give up.”

As we go through each day, negative messages bombard us. If we listen to them unprepared, we will be swept away on a journey far from home. We will travel from wholeness to a land of bitter, angry, lost, loneliness, and incompleteness. Most people live in this spot separated from the truth of God. As a result, we try to find our way back to peace in any way possible. Humans spend billions of dollars to get our minds off the mess. We try anything we can to distract ourselves, change our surroundings, or buy our way out of it.

The only thing that genuinely leads us home is hearing our Father’s voice. I love what Augustine of Hippo said, “The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home.” The voice of our Father speaks truth amidst the chorus of confusing voices. In my darkest hours, the only thing that has assured my wholeness has been the truth of God’s voice. Hearing His voice and finding ways to center our lifestyle around it preserves the state of our hearts and minds.

This post is an excerpt from Robin Steele’s upcoming book: How To BE Made Whole

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