People often think more about spiritual matters around major holidays and big events, like weddings, funerals and going back to school. For example, Christmas is a $135 billion dollar industry, and Easter brings in $13 billion dollars annually. Though there is much commercialization, it is still at these times many will stop and think about faith, if for nothing more than nostalgic reasons and childhood memories. It is easy to get caught up in the busyness of life, all the while missing what should be our first priority.

The Gospel of John spends over ten chapters discussing the final week of Jesus' life before he would die on the cross. One particular day John shares that a crowd gathered around Christ and a voice from heaven was heard, at least by some people. The apostle wrote, "A voice came from heaven, 'I have glorified my name, and will glorify it again.' The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered" (John 12:28-30). This was the third time this heavenly voice was heard in Christ's ministry. The first was at his baptism, the second when he transfigured on the mountain, and now here during his final week before facing a Roman torture stake.

Jesus would say his Father's voice was heard for the crowd's benefit, but some didn't hear it, and simply heard thunder instead. How easy it is to be distracted by the demands of life and the pull of the moment. How easy it is to miss the voice speaking into our life, and only hear a rumbling instead. This can happen during the holidays as well. There are dinners and dresses, crowds and conflicts, hopes and expectations and a hundred other things. Jesus stopped and told the people to hear, many thought he was referring to a coming storm when instead he was pointing them to the voice of his Father. It would not be long after this moment that he would be crucified. Once again crowds would miss what was in front of them. They would miss the Christ, instead accusing him of being a common criminal.

A few years ago I was at a leadership conference where there was much talk about vision statements. Disney's motto is, "We are in the happiness business." The idea is that customers should enter the park with a smile, and leave the park with that same smile, not in a state of exhaustion and frustration. Erwin McManus shared that those who follow Christ have a motto that should read, "We are in the life business." We should be able to not only live that life with passion, but to show others how to as well, so they can more clearly hear the Father's voice.

Someone who understood this well was Dwight Moody, a giant of the faith. He shared that one of the happiest people he knew was a man who was paralyzed by an accident he had when only a child. Years later Moody asked him if he ever felt Satan tempting him to deny his faith and reject God. The man shared Satan often tempted him to bemoan his state and live in self pity and resentment. Moody asked him, ""And what do you do when you are tempted to feel like that?" The man simply replied, "Ah, I just take him to the cross and I show him Christ, and I point out the wounds in His hands and feet and side, and say, 'See how He loves me?'"

May it be the same for you and me. Amidst the distractions, the failing to hear the heavenly voice, the conflicts and temptations, may we simply see his hands, his feet, his side, and know how much He loves us. Then we will be able to more clearly hear that heavenly voice, even if other people only hear thunder.

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