I took Robin over to Bullhead City to go out for our anniversary. (We were only 1 day late!) First, we went to Sam’s Club to do some shopping for us and the church, but then we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. Maybe it was because there was an NBA game, or maybe it was just because it was BOGO (buy one get one) night for boneless wings, but the place was packed! We had to wait about 20 minutes to get seated, but we finally made it in. When we went into the dining room, the sound was intense. Imagine, 200 conversations going on, all at once. Add to that the clink of silverware and glasses, then add to that the sound from the speakers. Add to that the fact that the walls of the whole room was “hardscape.” Nothing in the room to keep the sound from bouncing. No one was screaming or yelling, but the noise all added up! Add to that my lack of “auditory discrimination” (where you have trouble picking voices out of the background noise) and you have the perfect storm. “I felt like I was drowning in a sea of sound.” When our waitress came to our table, I could hardly hear what she was saying. I could understand Robin most of the time if I was looking at her mouth, but otherwise, the sound of her voice was lost in the maelstrom. I told Robin, “You have to order for both of us!” When our food came, it was delicious, and of course, the company was great!
As the evening went on, the people thinned out and it got a lot less loud. It was nice to be able to finally talk to our waitress!
I do have a point to this article. We live in a society where the world is constantly trying to “drown us in sound.” It may be the computer, the television, or the music we play, but there is a constant barrage coming our way. It isn’t just sound, but sights as well. The problem isn’t so much the noise, as what that noise is trying to tell us, or what it is trying to keep us from hearing. The “worldly chatter” that we hear tries to dominate our thinking. But Paul warned Timothy, not once but twice, about this very thing. II Timothy 6:20–21 O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge” which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you. II Timothy 2:15–18 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.
“Worldly, empty chatter” can lead us to go astray from our faith. Listening to the world’s noise is only going to take us in the wrong direction. Instead, we are to “be diligent” to be faithful in how we handle the Word of God. When we let the “worldly, empty chatter” fill our minds, it’s hard to focus on the truth. So, DON’T LET THE NOISE OF THIS WORLD KEEP YOU FROM HEARING THE TRUTH! Don’t let the “noise” get to you!
John
