A TIDE SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL a few years back was simply genius. It introduced the ‘Tide-To-Go’ pen (which removes small stains from clothes). In only a few seconds a young man, obviously interviewing for a corporate leadership position, sat confidently answering a question from the executive across the desk. He looked sharp.
Except—as he began to speak—the camera and microphone focused on something the interviewer couldn’t help but see and hear—a high-pitched blaring voice exclaiming, “ME ME ME ME ME ME . . .” from the animated lips of a tiny food stain on the interviewee’s perfectly starched, bright white shirt.
The message was clear . . . DON'T let this happen to YOU. GET the Tide To Go Pen! Almost anyone can boast about how accomplished they may be, but can they prove it? They may sell a list of compelling and rehearsed arguments as to why they should be selected, but employers prefer people who can show they are skilled in the dialect of handling tiny details. Smart people will showcase that skill because that's who they are!!
But I see something else that I’m sure Tide never intended: the value of the whisper.
Screaming gets on all our nerves really quickly, just as unmotivated performers in a workgroup (we've all seen them) irritate the ones who get their work done well, and on time. The best employees end up screaming out of frustration, if only inside their heads. There is a better way.
Read the fascinating new findings about whispers by following this link. We’ve known of the power of whispers for years. Why do Bob Ross’s videos remain popular decades after his death? And now advertisers are paying attention. I'm sure they don't give a thought to the fact that it is our Creator who invented the whisper, so whispering must have a purpose and power for good.
Over the COVID19 pandemic, we huddled in our dwellings. Feared for our lives. A virus either killed or permanently damaged many worldwide. Survivors scarred for life. No one was immune to its impact. We witnessed the best and the worst in humans. People cooperating with each other. Medical personnel quietly working exhaustive hours with tears—risking their lives and their families' health. Neighbors reaching out without a complaint to demonstrate support.
Later, some began to unravel with anger. Riots. Screaming. Work and School disrupted. Cities burned. Incompetent leadership. Brutality. Injustice. No justice. Fear. Hate. Accusations. Suspicion. Medical practitioners fleeing their profession. Family fights over whether to wear a mask! And mostly we were stripped of sacred time with our brothers and sisters.
And so many turned evermore, not to the One with the power to heal and save, but to their rights, government, and science to save us.
Before our freedom from the tyranny of this plague returns, consider what you want. To go back to what we were? The “ME ME ME ME!” culture? Stay filled with rage, feeling depressed for what we’ve lost? Trusting in things that can’t really help us? Or something else?
Elijah, while fearing for his life, feeling alone and discouraged, appealed to God. He was led to a mountain where he witnessed a wind so loud and strong it shattered rocks, afterward a powerful earthquake, and then a raging fire. God wasn’t in any of the clamor. Finally, there came the gentle whisper of God with his loving solution to the problem.
God still whispers while the world rages. He quietly offers the solution for every conflict known to mankind. Deal justly and compassionately with each other. Show mercy to those we can. Help any and everyone within our reach. Love others. Not to receive anything in return, but to do it because we can—because it is right. Those who ask for it are freely given the skills to accomplish these things. So few ask.
When the pandemic is over and whatever happens next, ask a favor of God. To take his own special “Tide-to-Go pen" and remove the stains that scream our flaws to others, then whisper his power into us to make our world a better place, erase a few “isms", and give the people who cross our paths what they really need: Peace of mind and heart.
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