Turned on the car radio and was greeted by a favorite song, but something wasn't right - the sound sounded flat, dull, uninteresting …Poking around the many buttons on the radio I stumble across the problem: the radio was set to “mono on.” I’m not sure why a radio would have this option, but there it was. A change of settings allowed me to catch the last few lines of a favorite song in stereo – a full, deep, and rich sound, even through my twelve year old Camry speakers.
I think a lot of people speak in mono. Perhaps out of loyalty, or meeting the expectations of another, or rejecting a particular voice, the sound comes out less than full, less than alive. It may work, it may keep the peace, it may get you through the day, but it’s not really you.
Growing up a lot of different voices speak into your life - parents, teachers, coaches, friends, culture. They serve a purpose, they teach us to speak, to sing, to enter the world of words and find which words work for you. But these voices are not your voice. They may shape your voice, they may be heard in your voice, but they are not your voice. When you speak solely from the voice of others it comes out flat, lacking depth and richness. It comes out mono.
It takes time. Common to think you've found your voice, only to discover later that your sound was only a rejection of an other voice. Finding your voice isn’t a rejection of the other voices, but a bringing together of those voices into a new sound that only sounds right coming from you.
Ultimately I believe it’s God who brings out your true voice by speaking truth into your life. “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased …”
So I write and in writing I listen. I’ll share some of the voices that have become a part of my voice. At the same time I’ll listen for a truer voice, formed in the heart, released in the life, that sings the song I was created to sing.
No comments:
Post a Comment