Skip to main content

finding your voice...

This is a link up with the Faith Barista, so be sure to hop over there to hear from some other writers who are finding their voices, too!
 
 

Who am I to write?

Who am I to pour a bunch of words out and expect other people to read them--or even more than that, to want to read them?

And if people are reading, are they hearing me? Are the words I'm using the right words, the ones that are going to get my point across the way I want?

I struggle with these questions almost every time I sit down to write--especially with this blog, but even more so with the more personal stuff I've been working on this last month like my story and a study I'm trying to write.

I write,
I scratch out,
I rewrite.

I change a word just to change it back. I stress and backtrack and rework, and then at some point I just give in and click "Publish." The writing itself may or may not be ready, but I can tell you one thing--
I know I'm not ready, no matter how much I've worked on getting everything just so.

But at some point I have to let go.
I have to trust that if I put my heart into my writing you'll see it.
I have to believe that my words--however imperfect--will somehow be enough, and that you will be gracious when you read them.

...but sometimes, there are those rare moments.
There are times when the words are true, when what flows out of my pen (yes, I still write with pen and paper long before anything gets typed up. I'm a rebel like that!) is even more than I was hoping for.
Sometimes I don't have to second guess or rewrite.
Every once in a while, there is another Voice there with my own, filling in the gaps when I don't know what words to use. My voice falters, but the other Voice is there--and His never falters.
I'm starting to find my voice, because the One who rejoices over me with singing is inviting me to lift my voice with His.

"The LORD your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing."
~Zephaniah 3:17 
Labels:

Comments

  1. TrudyFebruary 21, 2014 at 12:15 PM

    I love how you acknowledge the finding of our voices is because of God's never faltering voice. Thank you for this encouragement, Mandy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AprilFebruary 21, 2014 at 12:18 PM

    I feel the same way most of the time when I write. Just keep writing, no matter what, that's what I keep telling myself and I hope it encourages you too. (I'm visiting from Faith Barista's post today).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cherry WarrickFebruary 22, 2014 at 8:37 PM

    Mandy, I appreciated reading your words, and hearing your heart! Keep writing! And I especially like this ... "I'm starting to find my voice, because the One who rejoices over me with singing is inviting me to lift my voice with His." So true!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thoughts? I would love to hear them!
~Mandy

Popular posts from this blog

a little bit of physics (don't be scared!)

"by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." hebrews 11:3 this is one of my favorite verses--i call it my physics verse because to me it is tying together my faith and subatomic particles. no, really--i mean it! when i first started working on a degree in physics and a minor in biology, somebody (i don't remember who anymore, but it seems like it was somebody on some kind of discussion board...) told me that i would forget about all that dumb "christianity" (<--spell checker doesn't like that. hmm...) stuff. once i had been educated, i would see that faith was superstition and a pointless waste of time, something for the ignorant, uneducated masses.  while i'm sure that is the conclusion some people come to, it sure wasn't for me.                          ...
9 comments
Read more

Psalm 19

                    "The celestial realms announce God’s glory;      the skies testify of His hands’ great work. Each day pours out more of their sayings;      each night, more to hear and more to learn. Inaudible words are their manner of speech,      and silence, their means to convey. Yet from here to the ends of the earth, their voices have gone out;      the whole world can hear what they say." (Psalm 19:1-4, VOICE)
Post a Comment
Read more

He is God...and I'm not

There's a song that's been around for a while, but there's a specific line in that song that really sticks with me: "Sometimes I gotta stop remember that You're God and I am not."   It's from "Thy Will" by Hillary Scott, released 9 years ago.   I don't know about you, but I have a tendency to want to control everything in my life. I've told my kids many times that our biggest strengths can also be our greatest weaknesses, and this is one of those things for me--my self-reliance. It's a great thing when I need to convince myself to do hard things, but it's not so great when I fall onto my self-reliance as an excuse for not trusting others...and most importantly, not trusting God.   You see, it's easy for me to say that I believe the promises of God are true. I know He promises never to leave. I know He promises that His love is unconditional and eternal. I know He promises that He made plans for me long before time began. I kno...
1 comment
Read more