Most of us think we don’t have anything to say. But the reality is that we’ve just stopped listening to ourselves. We’ve stopped allowing ourselves to speak from a deep place. The Deep Place where the soul meets sunshine for a moment of clarity and thought. If we aren’t willing to get quiet and listen, then we won’t have anything to say at all.
You’ll never find real answers if you’re afraid to ask real questions.
And, you’ll never find real answers if you aren’t willing to answer the real questions.
For example, what is important to me?
- love
- friendship
- conversation
- creativity
- family
- vulnerability
- acceptance
What things are important to you?
These are the things that are word-worthy. That mean much to us. That are breath and life and living. Those things should have words. Words on pages that may never be read. Or in secret conversations in the late of night that fall between you and your love or you and your God or you and your friend. By all means, give them words.
Words cannot be words without breath. And so life cannot be life without breath. And faith cannot be faith without breath. What is it if it has no breath? It is dead.
Give your truth breath. Speak it. Say it. Offer it to the ears of the world. And to the ears of yourself. Declare it. Write it down. Breath it out to someone else. Make it real. Make it alive. Make it full of breath. Put your breath–your exhale–in it and send it on it’s way.
We cannot live our realities if we are denying them. We cannot live out our pursuits if we are being silenced. Surround yourself with people who don’t silence you, but who cheer on your voice. Bring them into your world and let them speak their words to you so you can find your own voice. Get used to the sound of your voice and let it be the vessel you use to declare truth and love to the world. What are we without our own voices? mute… lifeless… messageless…
Don’t mute yourself. Amplify yourself. You have something to say that’s worth saying. Say it. If it’s worthy of words, give it words.
Give it words.
mandy, this is so good on SO many levels.
favorite post in a long time.
Thanks Tam. I wrote it back in October. Maybe I should’ve posted it then.
Surround yourself with people who don’t silence you, but who cheer on your voice. Bring them into your world and let them speak their words to you so you can find your own voice. Get used to the sound of your voice and let it be the vessel you use to declare truth and love to the world. What are we without our own voices? mute… lifeless… messageless…
Don’t mute yourself. Amplify yourself. You have something to say that’s worth saying. Say it. If it’s worthy of words, give it words.
oh my, mandy…i want to raise my head and look my silencers in the eye and declare firmly, i love you, and then turn and walk the path i’m meant to walk. thank you for being the third (or more) confirmation in two days of this.
Wow! Happy to have joined the voices of confirmation in your life this week.
And I look forward to the words that will be drawn out of you.
love. this.
Thanks Al!
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Oh how beautiful. I needed this.
“We cannot live our realities if we are denying them. We cannot live out our pursuits if we are being silenced. Surround yourself with people who don’t silence you, but who cheer on your voice.”
It’s not been easy finding those that don’t silence. Most of those dear to my heart that encourage me are ones that I’ve never met face to face. They are my “Church” my “Community.”
You know what, I’m in a number of relationships right now that are my artistic “community” but they are with people who aren’t even in my physical life right now. In fact, one friend says I’m a part of her “church.” I get what you’re saying. I understand the need to have others in our artistic/expressive lives who coax words out of us. They are vital. They are the “life support” we need when our own creativity gasps for breath.
i needed to hear this.
Me too. The words are months old. Drafted. Then I returned to them just yesterday morning. I had someone tell me today that I needed those words this week. So they came back to me. Glad you needed them too.
That is how I am trying to live my life. I am not sure if it was my cancer scare, God nudging with with the cancer scare, or that reality hit me that I cannot be surrounded by people who do not allow the voice to be heard. I share to share, and I have heard that at times it helps others. I story tell for that reason. All of this leads to a recent service we had that spoke about our legacy. How you want to be remembered.
I will only add that I need to surround myself with people I trust, and who will encourage me in the right way. Otherwise I will look a fool, and fall away from so many things….
This is wise. It’s important for us to have people around us who will encourage us and who will be banks for our rivers. But, I think the overly-cautious quiet ones say too little. We rarely risk looking like fools because we rarely risk saying anything at all.
This has me wondering what’s worse: To be mute or foolish? Gosh. I’m not really sure…
i notice the caps, “The Deep Place”…
i like that. it’s the place I am constantly seeking out and simultaneously getting lost in, deeper and deeper.
deep calls out to deep…
Caps work for me. And look at you quoting scripture. Careful…
ashley used to quote that to me all the time…
and it’s been a phrase i come back to.
makes me think of her. makes me think of you.
makes me think about a lot.
I’m a bit timid these days of speaking the words from fear of wondering about their truth. I spoke so boldly of my marriage, thinking all was well, then found I was living a fantasy. I’m trying to understand my reality. I hope to have a voice again…someday…
Thank you for such a thoughtful post. I needed to hear it.
You know, Red. I think we can’t fully speak of our realities until we understand them. Or at least, have enough of an understanding to actually start moving forward in our realities. Sometimes, writing about something will help me get a grip on what is actually going on. Sometimes. Other times, it just confuses things. Ha! That doesn’t help at all, does it?
It does help. I hear you saying it’s okay to stay quiet…writing might help, but it surely doesn’t mean I need to publish my writings…however, the reflection will help to move the process along.
Thanks.
Oh yes. Reflective moments bring clarity to just about anything we’re facing! I recommend it to everyone.
Needed to read this, big time. Need to not be silenced. To find my voice. To give it words. Yes.