The other day I was fixing supper and my youngest came into the kitchen to tell me something that her big sister had done to her. She came in explaining in her poor-pitiful-me voice that her big sister was using my “angry voice” and was acting like she was her momma.

What? My children, my little precious bundles of joy recognize that I (the one who gave birth to them) has an “angry voice”? My angry voice?

I was shocked!

Well, not really . . .

Yes, I have a angry voice and yes, I use it.

At first I felt condemnation at this realization. Am I not to be kind? Am I not to be sweet-tempered? Am I not to be gentle?

Oh, I hear sweet-soft spoken mom’s who never seem to “lose it” with their children. I hear them and I think, I will do better. I will become like them. I will remain calm always. I will become even tempered if it kills me. But alas this redhead (yes, I shall blame the redhead, I have it and I shall use it, lol) along with my touch of Irish blood (you know “the fighting Irish”) just seems to get me every time.

The most frustrating thing is that the “angry voice” does not rise up out of my throat until my sweet voice has done asked at least twice—there just is something about that third time. But somehow, for some strange reason, my children amazingly seem to comprehend my words and act upon my request the moment the “angry voice” emerges.

Sometimes I feel as though I should just skip the polite requests and just jump straight to the “angry voice.”

As I have pondered my “angry voice” I was reminded of a passage in Isaiah:

Again the Lord spoke to me further, saying,

“Inasmuch as these people have rejected

the gently flowing waters of Shiloah

And rejoice in Rezin and the son of Remaliah;

Now therefore, behold,

the Lord is about to bring on them

the strong and abundant waters of the Euphrates,

Even the king of Assyria and all his glory;

And it will rise up over all its channels

and go over all its banks” (Isaiah 8:5-7).

And here it is. The children ignoring the gentle, sweet voice of their Father—not seeming to hear Him at all. Then comes the “angry voice.”

Have you ever been on the receiving end of the “angry voice” of God?

How many times has God gotten to the point that He has had to use His angry voice simply because we will not obey the sweet gentle sound of His small, still whisper?

I don’t believe that God enjoys having to whip out His angry voice to get His children to hear and obey Him anymore than I enjoy having to use mine to get my children to hear and obey me.

Now, the “angry voice” is not to be used to belittle, bash, or abuse—it simply is re-stating the exact same request in a more forceful tone, the “I mean business, now!” tone.

My angry voice is usually preceded by the question “how many times do I have to tell you to . . . ?”

And it usually ends with the “do you understand me?” or “if I have to tell you again you will be disciplined.”

I don’t enjoy disciplining my children. I don’t enjoy the angry voice. I would much rather they simply choose to simply do what I ask when I ask them.

Hmm, I am sure my Heavenly Father looks down upon me with the very same sentiment!  —submitted by Nicole Vaughn, US