Today I was reminded of something that I think I have always known, yet forgotten the importance of; the fact that my voice matters. Not just my church voice, or political voice, or class voice, but my voice in general has the power to tear others down or build them up. Yes, my witness is very important. Yes, finding where and what to say politically is very important. Yes, learning information and processing it in class is important, but so are the words I say at Walmart, on the phone, standing in line and driving in my car.
I have this amazing friend who changed my life but uttering seven profound words to me one day. She said "if it matters to you, it matters." Simply using those words to give me validation in a storm helped me feel that I wasn't alone. Since then, I have tried to adopt this mantra as my own. It doesn't matter if I think something carries the same amount of weight as you do, if it matters to you, it matters to me. Telling someone that can be life altering. I know, because mine was.
You don't even have to really know someone for your words to impact them. There are so many people out there in the world today who think they speak on my behalf because we share a label. The fact that I am a woman doesn't mean that I automatically agree with everything that is said on behalf of womankind. I am a Christian, but that doesn't mean that I agree with everyone who claims to speak for me. Just because I am an American doesn't mean that my country always conveys the message to the world that I would choose to. I have a voice and I should be using it.
A crazy church claiming Baptist in their title is protesting Baylor today. Their words are hurting people that I am called to love and minister to. So, what am I going to do about it? I am going to be careful with my words and make sure that as clearly as possible I am communicating to the world what I want to say, and how I think it should be said. I would encourage you to do three things during this time of thanksgiving:
1. Realize the weight of your words
2. Use the weight of your words to positively impact those around you
3. Take back your voice from those who claim to speak for you and clarify who you are and what you want.
This thanksgiving I am thankful that I have been blessed by people who have used their words to positively impact my life. I hope you can say the same.
