The Loudest Voice

Lots of things are loud.

Like fire drills.

Like train stations.

The city.

Crowded buses.

Airports.

Motorways.

Lunchbreak at school.

And life.

Life is loud sometimes.

It is MESSY and CRAZY and LOUD.

It is like

a crowd of people all

SHOUTING

different things at you

YELLING AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS.

It can feel like there’s this

MASSIVE

GIANT

HUGE

pressure building up on you.

The pressure to get good grades.

The pressure to be perfect.

The pressure to be on top of everything.

The pressure to date like everyone else does.

The pressure to look a certain way.

The pressure to wear this.

To do that.

To speak like this.

To act like so-and-so does.

To be better.

To be prettier.

The pressure, the pressure, the pressure.

It’s LOUD.

it BUILDS UP.

getting  LOUDER AND LOUDER

IT CRESCENDOS

TO A FORTE

UNTIL

IT BLOCKS

OUT

EVERY OTHER NOISE

AND

YOUR FINGERS GET SWEATY

AND YOU CAN’T

HOLD

ON

ANY

LONGER

AND

YOU’RE

S

    L

         I

              P

                   P

                        I

                             N

                                  G

ABOUT

TO

B

R

E

A

K

YOU NEED TO S C R E A M

AND THEN

BANG

all of a sudden,

you can’t hear anything else

except

THE PRESSURE

THE PRESSURE

THE PRESSURE…

it’s so        loud.

the loudest.

louder than anything else.

you don’t know if there is anything else.

but there is.

there is.

it’s the

still

quiet

voice of our saviour.

i n a u d i b l e

above the noise but present if you block out everything else and listen

just listen.

and He tells you it’s

o

k

a

y

that you’re safe

with Him.

He tells you you’re

beautiful

and loved.

so

very

very

loved.

He tells you the story of how He made you

how He knitted you together in your mother’s womb

strand

by

strand

creating your very being

making you unique

and perfect.

He tells you of how

He has

your name

on

His hand.

You are His.

and He tells you how much he’d do for you.

how much He’s done for you.

how He died for you

even though

He didn’t know if you’d ever love Him.

and how he loves you

so

much

right

now

that he’d leave all other 99 sheep to look for

just

you.

and suddenly

you’re

f

    a

         l

              l

                   i

                        n

                             g

again

but this time

you’re

f

    a

         l

              l

                   i

                        n

                             g

gently

into

the

arms

of

your

saviour

because

actually

His

voice

has

been

the

loudest

all

along

.