On Friday I told you that you have a voice that needs to be heard. Here’s the next question you need to ask yourself: Who’s hearing my voice?
My voice is primarily one of encouragement and counter-intuitive thinking—with a few nuances here and there. And I’ve been working hard at writing from that voice. At speaking from that voice. At meeting over coffee from that voice. That’s good. But one of the things I frequently forget to do is to use that voice when I’m speaking with those who are closest to me.
Am I speaking with encouragement and counter-intuitive thinking to my wife? My friends? My pastor? My church?
Again, there’s a huge temptation to think that your voice is the same as a platform or fame. It’s easy for me to think that my voice is for those that devour my blogs or books. But what about those I interact with on a daily basis? What about that guy at church who wants to do what I’m doing and would love to have my encouragement?
Your voice is for the people whose ears wouldn’t hear another voice. But it’s also for your immediate sphere of influence. So maybe your platform is underwater basket weaving, and that has nothing to do with those immediately around you. But your voice—something bigger than your profession or expertise—has value to those around you. Are you speaking to them with your voice?
Is the love inside your voice splashing on those closest to you, or are you reserving it for a faceless entity through the internet?
I want my voice to impact everyone I come in contact with. Not just my fans or my audience. Yes, they’re important. But how much more important are the ones God has put around me on a daily basis?
I tend to forget about this. I always think about my voice – or passion – as a way to interact with people I don’t know. But what you’re saying is that my passion or voice should be speaking to my immediate friends/family as well. It’s good to keep this in mind, to be intentional about our motivation for using our voice/passion in the first place. If we aren’t helping or practicing our passion with those closest to us, I don’t know how we’ll be able to affect those we don’t even know.
Exactly ^^