Sunday Sunshine: Speak Your Truth

How many times have you said yes when you wanted to say no? There are times when it's hard to find your true voice, the voice that represents your deepest-held values. Perhaps you don't want to be seen as contrary or difficult or, heaven forbid, to stand alone in your opinion.

Yes, there's risk when you say what you believe. But there is also risk if you keep those thoughts to yourself.

Be strong. Be brave. Be true to yourself and your values. Speak your truth. 

Do so respectfully. 

Do so quietly. 

Live your values through your carefully considered words and respectful actions.

The words you have to say are important. Give voice to them.

Today, this week: Be true to you. Have the courage to speak your truth.

Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday: Be Strong. Be True to Yourself.

It isn’t always easy. The pressure to conform, to remain silent, to go along with things that don’t feel right to you is strong.

But you have an option. You can be strong. You can be brave. You can be true to yourself and your values.  That wisdom that you carry deep inside of you is real and shouldn’t be ignored or squelched.

The truth that you feel deeply and viscerally is important to acknowledge. The words you have to say are important. Give voice to them.

Today, this week: Be strong. Be true to yourself. Listen to the wise voice deep inside of you. What is it telling you?

The Lion and Me

Our pastor spoke about courage and bravery one recent Sunday and it was a message I needed to hear.  Our Call to Worship words spoke of dawning understandings, stretching spirits, and our reaching toward God's bright and beckoning wisdom.  The Scripture readings ranged from Deuteronomy and Joshua to Proverbs and Corinthians, admonishing the reader to be strong, be courageous, be brave, be steadfast, be on guard.  Afterward, several of my fellow parishioners and I talked about the things we were encountering in our lives that were causing us to reach into our very depths for some bravery.  It made me think of the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, who was seeking courage.  Don't we all recognize a bit of the Cowardly Lion in ourselves as we navigate the challenges of life, searching all around and inside us for that bit of courage that will help another while, at the same time, comforting our own spirits, renewing our strength and deterring our fears?  Now is the time to be brave.

Listener or Speaker

I have an acquaintance through Twitter who challenges me at times to consider a particular topic for my blog.  Recently, he asked the question:  "Stories are powerful, but who has more courage and trust, the story teller or the listener?  Or are they entwined in pursuit?"  As is always the case, his words made me pause and it took me some time to consider my response.  I had posted in this blog recently that I have the blessing of hearing people's stories, often through my work.  I see those lovely people as courageous for sharing their stories and I feel privileged to have their trust.  But, then, I received my friend's tweet and I started to look at the subject from other directions.  I still see the ultimate courage as coming from the story teller, for it isn't easy to open up and share the details of one's life that can be painful, intimate or serious.  But I see a different kind of courage coming from the listener.  The listener must be open to hearing the story and must live up to the trust the teller has in him/her.  Together, the story teller and listener share a sacred moment in our human experience, one that makes stories powerful, wonderful, magical and transcendent.