How far does sound carry?

No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away. (Ezra 3:13 TNIV)

The sound was heard far away. I love those words. It's a great reminder that sound carries farther than we think. Consequently, we should be aware of opportunities that God gives us to celebrate particular blessings and consider the impact of complaining. The echo of our praise or our complaint reaches ears in distant places. Our lives create a lot of noise. Sometimes the sound of our testimony is dissonant. Here’s what I mean by dissonant. We experience God's grace and we taste the promises of God. Yet we lose focus and complain about what might have been. The specific context of Ezra 3 is representative of that dissonance. Miraculously, God had provided for the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. Once the foundation was complete, some shouted for joy while others wept because the new temple was not going to be as grand as the old. Sometimes our complaints move beyond momentary weeping and become a way of life.  Chronic complaining leads to a bitter life. During those times our focus turns inward. We forget about the blessings of God we have experienced and we forget about our responsibility to make His goodness known. It’s no secret that, too often, our lives become tainted by selfishness. Ezra 3:13 helps redirect our focus toward our testimony. Whether we weep or shout for joy, the sound of our lives carries.