First Baptist Church of Herndon

Finding Your Voice

Linda Soller | Feb 20, 2023

I awoke that Saturday morning with my spring allergies acting up. It was only February! I attended a four-hour knitting gathering where more talking than knitting is the norm. Next, I headed to a wine pairing dinner with my cousin in a beautiful space, but the acoustics required louder than normal conversations to be heard. Finally, a sleepover at my cousin’s charming home where chatting until mid-night seemed like the right thing to do. It was a talking marathon. The next morning, I woke with very little voice left. Clearly, I wouldn’t be singing in the choir even though some of my very favorite hymns were on the schedule, but none had a part for a croaking frog.  After teaching the Drop-In class, even with the help of volunteer Bible verse readers, I was basically left with no voice at all. My Sunday afternoon consisted of a nap, reading, and drinking lots of hot tea. My husband gets points for not being outwardly happy about this rare quiet afternoon. 

On Monday, home alone, I began to think of what my voice means to me. Maybe it was time I considered finding my voice in other ways. Our voice is one tool for communicating. We take it for granted.  It expresses who we are and what we think and sometimes who we want to be. It can be clear and sweet or rough and mean. Sometimes it’s critical that we use our voice and other times we should not. On my very quiet Monday I explored other ways to communicate those same things. I am a knitter and a reader, I did both that day. I appreciate kind people and gestures, so I wrote thank you notes. I understand I have responsibilities and so my chores got done. I love music and realize now what I listen to says a lot. And at the end of the day, no one needs to hear my prayers, but God. 

How many times must we hear – you don’t know what you’ve got until you’ve lost it – before we appreciate our blessings?  Being able to speak is a blessing.  Finding your voice is so much more than the words coming out of your mouth.

Be the love in the world  : )   Linda