The Voice

I do not know where I picked up this story, but the “Good Shepherd”
mention in the second to the last sentence caught my attention.

“A young man was faced with making an important decision that
would affect the course of his life. He considered his grand-
mother to be the wisest person he knew, and so he went to see
her. ‘Grandmother,’ he said, ‘I need to make the right decision
about my life and I've prayed about it, but I just can't
decide. Nothing happens when I pray. Tell me please, how can
I hear the voice of God?’

“The grandmother thought for a while, then replied, ‘My dear grandson,
I have quite a different problem and, because of it, I don't think
I can help you. You see, I cannot not hear the voice of God.’

“You hear what you want to hear. You hear what you're listening
for. If you want to hear the voice of God, you cannot not hear
it. God never gives up on you. God never stops inviting you
to be His own. The Good Shepherd always keeps you within
calling distance. If you don't hear Him it's not because He's
too far away or He's not speaking loudly enough. It's because
you are listening for other voices.’”