In my previous career as an educational assistant, I had the opportunity to visit different schools and work with a variety of children in different grades as well as working alongside many different teachers.
One of the most impactful teachers I got to work with was a gym teacher in an elementary school. I was working in a grade 1 class at the time and he was their gym teacher. What made him stand out to me was his approach to teaching.
I witnessed this man gather a bunch of grade 1 kids in the gym, get them to sit down in lines on the floor and listen to him. If you thought that was impressive already, he did it all without raising his voice!
It was one of the most impressive things I’d seen a teacher do. In my experience, I’ve witnessed teachers needing to raise their voice to get their children’s attention, which is common practice, especially when you have a rowdy bunch. But what was truly remarkable about his approach was that he would lower his voice to a whisper when talking to the kids.
When I first heard him talking to the kids in a whisper, I thought, “there’s no way they can even hear him.” I could barely hear him and I was standing two feet away from him. But that was the point! Instinctually, I moved closer to him and stopped what I was doing just so I could hear what he had to say and what instructions he was giving the kids. I noticed that the kids were doing the same and I even saw them physically leaning their heads towards him to listen. It was the most genuine technique I’ve seen.
Rather than raising his voice to make sure that the kids heard him and his instructions, he used the gentle whisper of his voice to get the children to come to him and tune into what he was saying. He was teaching them how to listen without explicitly teaching them how to listen. He was teaching them how to be still and focus on his voice.
Now granted, when the kids were running around and doing activities, he was using his regular voice/tone, but the use of the whisper was effective in getting them to learn how to listen and pay attention to his voice.
We also need to acknowledge that rather than stopping what they’re doing and leaning into what the teacher is saying, the kids could potentially have responded to the whisper by telling the teacher to speak up, but these were grade 1 kids, so they wouldn’t do that. However, as adults we may be more likely to respond that way.
The gentleness of a whisper has the ability to create a calm atmosphere for those who are in the room and can set the tone (Even in a gym!) with the children/people you are interacting with. It may be awkward to whisper to adults but we cannot deny that our tones can influence how people receive what we are saying.
In this season, I found that the Lord has been getting me to do the same thing. As I prayed to the Father and asked for direction and guidance, I felt the Lord wanting me to be still so that He could whisper in my ear/heart. I was reminded that in order for me to hear what God is saying I would have to stop what I’m doing and lean into Him. I did find myself asking God to “speak, Lord Speak” as if to say “Speak louder, I can’t hear you!” But I felt compelled that if I can’t hear what God is saying, then perhaps I need to stop what I’m doing, lean in and listen. Rather than getting God to come to me, I was learning how to go to Him. I was learning to block out the noise and distractions around me so that I could hear the gentle whisper of His voice.
Father, thank you for the ability to hear your voice. I thank you for speaking to us even when we don’t always listen. I pray that we would be a people who would lean into you and listen to what you have to say. Teach us how to listen to you in every moment of our lives. Continue to guide us and lead us in your ways. May we be attuned to your gentle whisper. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!