What's in a Voice?

There are a lot of loud voices out there, and being a reticent 9 on the Enneagram, I have no desire to be a loud voice. I do hold a longing to impact, to push people towards their best selves, to ignite a generation of whole hearted, fire-filled lovers of life. And, I suppose, a voice would be helpful in seeing that happen.

But what’s in a voice? Why does it matter if I say anything at all when there are so many loud, wondrous, beautiful voices out there already?

I think in our journeys, we must all learn to find our voice, and to use it well. Many find their voice and move mountains. Others find their voice and use it unwisely, or in a hurtful, demeaning manner. Others never find their voice and are left feeling as though there is something terribly vacant or lost within them.

To complicate things even further, there is no guarantee that a found voice equals a good voice.

Voices that are forged in the kiln of life can come out sounding like all sorts of things depending on the kiln used and the fires that blazed around them. So what makes a voice worth listening to? What fills a voice with worth?

The older I get, the more I understand that pain and suffering are such a normal part of the human life, but what we do with that pain is what will determine what our voice sounds like.

Rare is the person whose voice remains fully unclogged from the bitterness and harshness that life throws at it, but it is possible. I’ve seen it. And when I’ve come across those people, I have this impulse to sit in their presence and soak up whatever secret they somehow discovered in the complex weaving together of life, pain, sorrow, and goodness. I also want to share their story others.

Whose voices have you found in your life to be impacting and refreshing?