Have you heard the voice inside you?
Have you ever prayed or meditated and then simply known what is the right thing to do? Have you sometimes heard something inside you like a genuine, distinct voice that told you what you should do next, and you knew that was right? And then when you went and did that, of course it turned out to be miraculously right?
If you have not heard the voice inside of you, you need to listen. I am sure that everyone has a voice inside that tells them how to live. And note: “tells you how to live.” How to create a good life, how to be.
Shel Silverstein’s poem the voice is a wonderfully simple exploration of this.
There is a voice inside of you
That whispers all day long
I feel that this is right for me
I know that this is wrong
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
Or wise men can decide
What’s right for you — Just listen to
The voice that speaks inside.
It is the greatest comfort to me to know that that voice is there. That it is always there to listen and to help and to know what is the next thing for you to do. Today, the voice tells me that everything is fine, be where you are, it’s good. But that relationship has been cultivated to a point where I pay attention to that voice more and more all the time. And even then, I still slip and make the error of dismissing this voice or not giving it enough attention when I need to.
The voice, I find, though, is very forgiving, and always returns.