There is no shortage of words in our world today. Everywhere I turn this year, I feel bombarded by words — some important, some flippant, some superficial, some profound, some firm with conviction (and some that perhaps shouldn’t be), some redundant with talking points, and some just plain irritating. Perhaps this has always been the case, but it seems magnified in our current Covid-world — that humankind has an irrational love of hearing itself speak, even when it has nothing to say.
Be honest: Do you care which politician your neighbor votes for on election day? Mostly, we only care insomuch as we can point our fingers and blame those who elected the guy who is presently screwing things up. We care more about the fly than about the individuals debating.
And so in this abundance of words and opinions and convictions and politics, we find that something is lacking. Something is sorely lacking.
Voice.
And I get it. It’s hard to be heard over the brouhaha. It can discourage and leave us feeling like no one cares what we think or feel. And that’s just not true. Listen… the world is not changed by your volume or pressure. The world is changed by the passion of your voice. I have said it so many times in my life that I’m starting to irritate myself: There is only one you. No one else in all of history has your story, your passion, your voice. No one else in all of history has seen and experienced what you’ve seen and experienced.
The world needs your voice.
The world needs less copycatting.
The world needs individuality.
When we step away from the trending topics on social media, we find that life is much as it has always been. Our friends and family are struggling with sorrow, with finances, with health issues, with employment, with infertility, with relationships, with faith, with mental illness, etc., ad naus. The world may tell you that the most important things are Covid-19, whether you wear a mask, and who you support for President. The world is wrong.
So go ahead. The very fact that you are afraid to speak… is the reason you should, in fact, speak. Whatever it is that’s burning in your heart?… I guarantee, you are not the only one. There are others out there feeling alone and disconnected because 90% of their day is spent battling some invisible monster no one can talk about right now because “Covid” and “the Presidential election.” Be the voice that reminds us that we are all human. Be the voice that speaks the things we have forgotten. Be the voice that says, “you are not alone” — or better yet, as C.S. Lewis said, “What! You, too? I thought I was the only one!” Be the voice that offers hope and peace in the midst of a battle.
Whoever you are, whatever it is God has given you to say… open your heart and speak. I assure you, there is no shortage of words when you speak from your soul.
From the shores of Wicket Lake;
