Finding a Voice

I remember running through the backyard of a friend’s house, laughing and playing as we chased each other through the trees. We might have been ten or eleven at the time, and I don’t know what game we were playing, but I distinctly remember the moment I discovered that I didn’t know how to scream. When someone popped out from their hiding spot, I was silently startled. Everyone else was laughing and screaming, letting those emotions out and I just couldn’t do it. I tried a few times and it felt so terribly unnatural. Even now I realized I don’t yell on rollercoasters or when something scares me. I get quiet, hold my breath, and try not to cry.

When everyone else is screaming, do you try to force your voice to be as loud as the crowd?

The person God made you to be is so special and unique. You don’t need to try to yell over the noise to serve where God has called you. Maybe, like me, you occasionally find yourself searching and striving for ways to make your message more prominent. Do you occasionally feel panicked that you aren’t doing enough, writing enough, creating enough, being seen by enough people? Are you signing up for the next new course on how to build your platform, joining all the groups, feeling stuck because the huge list in your brain of what you SHOULD be doing is keeping you from making progress on the one next best thing?

I get it. I find myself doing the same thing.

What if this week we chose to settle into the voice – and volume – God gave us? The hard truth is, there will always be someone louder, someone more talented, someone more driven, someone more accomplished. But instead of forcing ourselves to compete, why not find a voice that matches our message?

• Take a look at those groups you’re in – do they feed your soul or make you doubt your path?
• Carefully consider those courses – just because everyone is saying it’s great and it’s led by someone “popular” doesn’t mean you need it, or that it will be right for you.
• Quiet the clutter in your brain by writing down everything on your “should do” list, along with anything you feel God is actually asking you to do. Circle the items that match up, choose one to tackle, and ignore the rest.

Spend a little time this week praying about where you might have started striving instead of serving. If you feel like you’ve been trying to yell above the noise or sound like someone you’re not, this is your permission to stop. Lean into the voice God has given you and use it all – your gift, platform, voice, opportunities – to bring Him glory.