Drawn, Not Driven: Tuning Your Ear to God’s Kindness
Many people assume God sounds like the harshest voice they’ve ever known. If you grew up around criticism, emotional distance, or impossible expectations, it’s easy to project that tone onto Him. But Jeremiah 31:3 tells a different story: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” God draws; He does not drive.
To draw is to invite, to extend a hand, to woo your heart closer. To drive is to push, to threaten, to force. Scripture shows us that it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance—not shaming, not fear tactics, not emotional abandonment. His voice may be firm. It may call you out of sin, stagnation, or self-sabotage. But it will never be cruel. It will always lead you toward Himself, toward healing, and toward truth. The fruit of His voice is ultimately peace, clarity, and hope—especially after obedience.
Shame’s voice is different. Shame’s tone is harsh, mocking, or icy. It speaks in absolutes: “You always… You never… You’ll never change.” It pushes you away from God and people—into hiding, isolation, overcompensation. The fruit of shame’s voice is confusion, fear, and despair. It may sound “religious” or “motivating” on the surface, but if it leaves you feeling further from the Father’s heart, it is not Him.
Learning to separate God’s loving voice from shame’s voice is a key part of healing your internal love language. If you treat shame as if it were God, you will always feel unsafe with Him. But when you begin to recognize, “That harsh, condemning tone is not my Father,” you can choose which voice to partner with. You can pause and ask, “Who is talking to me right now—love or shame?” and then align with the voice that draws you, not the one that drives you.
In this month’s Already Loved journey, we practice this discernment in simple, daily ways—through the Daily Dose audios, through the 28 day Affirmation Journal, and through the prompts that invite you to notice tone, direction, and fruit. Over time, your inner world will start to sound different. Kinder. Clearer. More like Jesus.
You were never designed to be driven by fear. You were designed to be drawn by kindness.
