When you have five people in a household, everything becomes a competition. The struggle for prominence is constant. My boys turn almost everything into a competition; there’s a race for who can wake up first and a title for the “#1 sleeper,” awarded to the one who sleeps the longest. Some get ready the fastest, while others take their time to tidy up their rooms before getting dressed, so they can be deemed “most helpful.” You can end up first or last, but whatever you do, just don’t get lost in the shuffle of the middle.
This competitive spirit is particularly evident when I first get home; everyone is eager to dominate the conversation and gain my attention. Each child talks over their siblings, mid-sentence, getting louder and louder until the entire room becomes a cacophony of noise. Amidst the shouts and random sounds, everyone is vying for my approval or acknowledgment. This chaos leads to confusion and frustration, as no one can be heard. Everyone is trying to make themselves heard, yet paying attention to just one is impossible.
Whenever I reflect on this situation, I’m reminded of how inundated we are with information. Wherever we go, we carry a connection to the world, bombarded by multiple sources of information, each with their own competing perspectives. Every source is trying to capture your attention and approval. Some even come with well-intentioned motives, aiming to help us better ourselves, make us feel better, or improve the world we live in. However, they all compete for our focus.
Despite the quality of these sources, only one is perfect and has stood the test of time: God’s Word. This is the only source that is truly reliable. It is not just that it contains some truth; it is truth itself (John 17:17). God’s Word is the standard by which all other information can be measured. It serves as the foundation of faith; we believe that His word is powerful enough to create the universe (Hebrews 11:3). Time and again, we see God’s relational desire to communicate with His creation, fully realized in the person of the Son (John 1:14). Among all the available information sources, this one holds the utmost importance. It carries the greatest consequences and ramifications.
As Jesus addresses His followers, He asserts that our allegiance and reliance on His words set us apart from the rest of the world.
In John 10:11-16, He says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
With all the competing mixed messages vying for our attention, we must choose one as the most important. Most messages are just noise, pushing for our focus amid an ever-growing pressure to align with certain opinions. If we are His sheep, we will recognize His voice and prioritize it above all others. This also means that we will consume it like the bread of life (John 6:48). When we listen to His words, we are fully satisfied. We do not succumb to information overload; rather, we hear His voice and block out the noise.