You try to leave them behind on December 31 so you don't have to carry them with you into January 1. But for many of us, after waking up for several weeks into the New Year, we find ourselves surrounded by the same old noise. For many, the noise comes in the form of tapes played out in the surround sound of the mind. A pre-set, automatic, "play" button is pressed and we hear that same old noise again. One noise reminds you of past mistakes. Another noise replays a recent failure. At times, it seems, we have a never-ending playlist of uninvited noise.
And when we think we are finally silencing the recorded noise, noise comes at us live. A friend or a boss or a family member believes it is his or her duty to remind us of our failings and frailty. As a result, we feel incompetent or inferior or incapable — or maybe all three. We feel condemned.
I'd like to point out that "condemned" is exactly where the Enemy would like us to be. He wants us to hear those voices. He wants to fill us with enough noise that we begin to believe what we are hearing and render our lives ineffective. This Enemy has a clear job description: "accuse" and "deceive." He does his job very well.
