Voices

     I have a habit of singing while I wash dishes. Do not ask me why, because I have no idea why I do it. I always sing, though. Earlier this morning, I was washing dishes, and something happened that has never happened before in the history of my dish washing time...I ran out of songs to sing.
     It was quite an unusual moment. I simply could not think of a new song to start. So, instead, I started singing a melody of my own creation, full of "la la la" and "do do do" and "hum hum hum" sounds. I had no words to offer and no idea where the melody would go next. I just let myself go in the flow of the music inside of me. All I had to offer was my voice, and truthfully, the most pleasurable moments in my life occur when I give all that I have to offer, knowing that it is my best.
     Voices are spectacular things, just like the people who hold them. If you close your eyes and listen to someone you know speak, you can probably identify that person, just by his or her voice. Each voice is distinct. Each voice contains different elements: kindness, pain, intelligence, confidence, etc. There is so much to learn from a voice.
     Collectively, though, people fear using their voices. One of the greatest fears people have is public speaking, using their voices to influence and provide insight. Most college students are unnerved by having to take a speech class as a requirement. I understand and share the nervousness that speaking creates, but I do not understand why we become so nervous, so fearful. Why? Why do we fear?
     It is a privilege to have the ability to speak, to sing, to have a voice. Why waste that privilege? Use your voice. If you have something to say, say it. No one can say it like you can. No one else has your voice. You have something beautiful and unique and important to offer.
     Yes, nervousness may try to plague you and keep you from doing what you are meant to do, but gather courage. Whether you know it or not, your heart is like a lion. Sometimes, you will face moments in which you know you need to speak but do not know the words to say. Do not panic. Your heart and the deep things inside of you that are prompting you to speak already have the words at hand. You just need to be willing to open your mouth.
     It is true that there is a time to speak and a time to listen, a time to stay silent. However, I think that we practice staying silent way too much concerning the things that are of great importance. We tend to think that one voice will not make a difference, one song will not become an anthem. How wrong we are. How often we lie to ourselves and allow ourselves to be shepherded by the fear-inspired conformity around us.
     Your heart is saying something that matters. I know it is. The deep things inside of you are singing a melody. I know they are. How do I know? Because mine are, and I am a person, an individual, just like you. My eyes see the world around me. My heart beats a rhythm. My voice yearns to make a melody.

Speak.

Superheroes

     It seems that there has been a big superhero craze in Hollywood this summer. I, being a fan of comic book heroes and their adventures, have been a happy girl. I have been quite busy on Friday afternoons and evenings sitting in the movie theatre, watching the stories come to life.
     Yesterday, Captain America came out in theatres, so, of course, I went to see it. After seeing the movie, the first things everyone asked me were "Did you like it? Was it good?" I honestly never answer these questions in a straightforward way, simply because I like to reflect upon the movie and think about whether there was anything, any lesson or moral, to be taken from watching it. In my opinion, a movie or book that teaches its viewer or reader nothing is just a waste. I want to be inspired by the things I watch and read,...and as I reflected upon Captain America, I did feel inspiration.
     My thoughts were provoked by the character and personality of Steve Rogers even before he became Captain America. He was a physically weak young man, but his heart was big and full of goodness. The one word I would use to describe him is valiant. He never gave up in a fight, even though his adversary was usually a lot bigger than him.
     One scene of the movie that was stitched onto my heart was the scene in which Rogers finally was allowed to go through the recruit training for the military, and he and the group he was placed in were doing jumping jacks at the camp. His commanding officer produced a dummy grenade and threw it at the troops to see how they would react to that surprise attack. While all of the other men, big and strong, raced to get out of reach of the bomb, Rogers, small and weak, instinctly raced toward the grenade and threw himself on top of it, willing to sacrifice himself in order to save the other troops. What an act of courage and self-sacrifice!
      I think that when Rogers became Captain America, it just outwardly expressed the inner strength of his heart. He didn't have to be a physically impressive man to be a superhero. He already was one because of the goodness and boldness of his heart.
     In this world that we live in, we consider "superheroes" to be extraordinary men and women in comic books.

We don't have to be extraordinary, larger than life men and women to be superheroes.

     Superheroes are just people full of desire to make a difference in this world. Superheroes are people with hearts that are big and willing to do good. They know that this life is about more than themselves and are committed to something bigger. Superheroes are real, and you can be one. I can be one, too. There are so many men and women who already are, and I am so thankful for them. They are the people who have made an impact upon my life, whether they realize it or not. They have set an example that I desire to follow.

     Be inspired. You are capable of great things. Truly, you are. 

Intimacy

     For a few days now, my thoughts have been on intimacy. I've been pondering it. What is it? How do I guard my heart and still be intimate with someone?
     The secular culture has perverted the meaning of the word, and that bothers me. I know that intimacy is simply being close to or vulnerable with someone. One may be intimate with his or her deepest friends. One may be intimate with his or her family. One also may be uncomfortably intimate with someone he or she is forced to stand really close to in an outrageous line on Black Friday.
     Intimacy is...tough, because, in the case of friends, family, and other relationships, there is an amount of trust involved. There is vulnerability involved. There is a deeper connection than surface-level involved. Reality and truth are involved. It's hard, and the truth is that sometimes you and I will get hurt. We'll want to return to the smiles of surface-level because it is safe there. Our hearts and the deepest things about us are not in danger there. I've found, however, that intimacy is essential. If we stay surface-level, we'll never know what lies in deeper waters. Something beautiful may be waiting in those deeper waters, but if we're too scared to swim down, we will never know it.
     I've always thought that I am pretty good about being real with people and not putting up that surface-level front. A few days ago, my eyes were opened, though, when, in a conversation, I revealed something from deep within myself to the person I was talking to and the person sort-of balked. Not that it was some horrible memory or something. I was simply revealing a desire from my heart. I could tell that this person was taken a bit off guard, and I was embarrassed. And do you know what I did? I consciously returned to the surface-level. I did not want to be embarrassed anymore.
     One thing I have observed is that people expect you to be surface-level. They expect conversations to go as follows: "Hey! How are you?" "I'm fine. How are you?" "I'm good." With smiling faces, you are expected to part ways, and neither of you know any more about each other than you did at the beginning of the conversation. On the inside, though, each of us truly has something worthwhile to say. We have hurts that are raging and battles being fought. We have celebrations to share and stories untold. We have treasures inside of us that we don't need to hide. Surface-level is not going to show forth the gold and silver, diamonds and pearls that are at the bottom of the sea. Intimacy is essential. Take time to actually connect with someone. Listen to his or her words. I can guarantee that, just as you and I have something to say, other people do, too.

Food for Thought and Action

I was asked this question a few evenings ago while in a group conversation with some friends. I think it is such an important question to meditate on, so I'm going to toss it to you. If you have an answer you'd like to share, by all means, share it! Feedback is welcome here.

What should the church look like?

Now, when I ask this, I mean the Christian church as a whole. Also, I am not referring to the building. I am referring to the body of believers that occupy the church building. How should believers and followers of Jesus Christ act?...live? If we are going to call ourselves Christians, we need to be able to answer this question not only with words, but also with our lives.

Labels

     This semester, I decided to take a sociology course since it is one of those classes that is required of all freshmen in college. We are now in the middle of the semester, and I have observed that sociology emphasizes labels.
     In class just a few days ago, we discussed social classes and how each class behaves. My professor stated that just by knowing a person's social class, education level, annual income, race, and gender, one can tell everything about that person. I left class that day very indignant and full of troubled thoughts.

     I am of the opinion that sociology tries to explain people, as if people are predictable and can be put into boxes or categories with labels attached to their foreheads. It does not seem right to me.

Labels are for cans of soup, not for people.

     I know that our society has a nasty habit of categorizing, and I think it is because labeling is comfortable to society. As a result, we get in the habit of labeling ourselves and others without even thinking about it because society embraces it. It is simply something we are exposed to all the time.

     I must confess that for much of my life (though my life has not been very long yet), I labeled myself. When people told me I looked like some actress or reminded them of characters from books, I used to try to embody those characters and really look like the actress. It is quite embarrassing now to think about because I have learned over the past few months that I cannot be labeled...correctly. I refuse to be labeled. I may be a vegetarian, but that is not all of who I am. I may be a college student, but that is not all of who I am either. I like Star Wars, but that does not define me. I am Whitney, and there is no one else just like me. The same thing applies to you.

You are you, and no one could ever take your place.

You are not a can of soup to be put on a certain shelf.