How Well Do You Know That Voice?

Depending on where you’re from, you may be familiar with the novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Italian author Carlo Collodi. Although the lengthy story is the starting point for many versions, I’ll admit that I’m most familiar with the Disney animated movie.

In the movie, a lonely carpenter makes a marionette in the likeness of a little wooden boy. After he wishes on a star and falls asleep, a blue fairy visits the shop and brings Pinocchio to life. Once alive, the fairy tells him he will become a real boy when he proves himself worthy. But when it is clear that he can’t differentiate between right and wrong, a talking cricket named Jiminy steps forward and volunteers to be his conscience.

Unfortunately, Jiminy fails miserably on his first day at the job. Aside from being late to his assignment, he can’t keep Pinocchio out of danger. Midway through the puppet’s perilous adventure, Jiminy quits, frustrated that the little wooden boy won’t listen to anything he’s saying. As a result, Pinocchio finds himself in trouble, putting everyone around him in grave danger.

Some of you may blame Jiminy. You may think that Pinocchio had no chance because the cricket left in the boy’s time of need. However, let me remind those who have seen the movie that Pinocchio rushed forward without the still, small voice to accompany him because he was excited to see what the world had to offer. And because Jiminy spends most of the time trying to catch up, he is not there for the critical decisions to keep the puppet out of life-threatening situations. But the truth is Pinocchio met Jiminy the day before, and because they had no relationship, he was not used to carrying the insect with him.

How many of us are living a Pinocchio-like existence?

In our rush to begin our day or to make serious decisions, we leave our conscience behind. We use the excuse that we don’t have time for worship, or the morning is too busy for prayer, and in those declarations, we intentionally ignore our conscience. Man will have you believe that your conscience is merely a feeling that tells you what is right or wrong, but I believe it is a God-given faculty that can only be activated when we seek a relationship with Him.

John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” In order to know the sound of that voice, we must first become familiar with it. And through this relationship, we can let our conscience be our guide.