Finding my Voice - Again
My voice is quiet and high-pitched. In part, this is a reflection of experiences from early childhood which caused me to believe that my voice was insignificant. That it didn’t matter. That I didn’t matter. But the human spirit is resilient and creative. I found my voice in movement and dance. This was a way in which I could express myself without being concerned with the sound of my voice.
As my life progressed and I embarked on the spiritual path, I found myself called to ministry. It’s hard to be a minister and stay quie!. The thought of speaking every Sunday terrified me, but I had to respond to the call. It was painful and difficult, but I found my voice. While some had difficulty with its tone, others found resonance with my message.
Now I find myself seeking to find my voice once again. The times we are in are painful. So much of what I see breaks my heart. So much of what I see is out of harmony with the spiritual teachings that have guided my life.
It is tempting to say that we just need to raise our consciousness. We certainly need to do that, but we need to do more. We need to embody our teachings, to touch the humanity of one another with gentleness and love.
And for me, it is time to use my voice more strongly; to risk making people feel uncomfortable by speaking authentically about what it means to live love in this world.
Living love requires that we acknowledge that everyone of us is the beloved of God. Everyone of us is sacred and deserving of our love, our kindness. There is no justification for cruelty or dehumanization.
This is true whether we were born here or somewhere else – and however we came to be in this country.
This is true whatever our skin color or ethnicity.
This is true whatever our sexual orientation, or gender identity.
This is true whatever our faith tradition.
This is true whatever our political persuasion.
Mother Teresa said: "If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
“We belong to each other.” I believe on some level we all know that, and we all long to find our way back to each other. We long to experience the sacred in each other, to care for each other, and as Ram Dass said: “to walk each other home.”
However quiet my voice is, I intend to use it to speak up for those who are being harmed and to be a stand for a love lived in the messiness of life.
Join me in exploring how to do this well, by joining the Fierce Vulnerability book study beginning Thursday, February 5. The intention is to support one another in showing up to these times, and sharing our voice with honesty, integrity and vulnerability. You need not attend every session. Register at: https://www.openheartconsulting.net/classes/p/fierce-vulnerability-book-study