To Be Seen & To Be Heard

To be seen and to be heard.

Two deep desires.

Two deep desires ingrained in everybody.

Yet never knowing how to fully achieve it.

Fear of man steps in.

Fear of making it about you.

Fear of saying too much.

Fear of being judged.

Fear of being seen as fake.

Fear of being silenced.

Fear of saying the wrong thing.

A list of fears which continues to grow.

A list felt deeply every day.

Is it a wrong list?

Is it okay to feel this way?

Is it okay to express the fears you have?

Is it okay to desire these things without feeling selfish?

Is it okay to say the wrong thing?

Is it okay to be seen as different?

I want to, but I fear the outcome.

What if people don’t approve of me.

What if I get scared.

What if people take my words the wrong way.

What if it turns people away.

What if. 

What if.

What if.

Why won’t these questions and wonderings ever stop?

Why is freedom a seemingly impossible quest?

Why does it feel as if you take 2 steps forward and 1 step back all of the time?

Boldness.

Courage.

Empowerment.

3 strong words.

3 powerful actions.

3 dreams.

They are achievable. 

They are inside.

They are reaching to come out.

They have been silenced for too long.

They are lonely.

They need to be embraced.

Fear, Shame, Silence? Leave.

Boldness, Courage, Empowerment? Step up and walk.

Hey God,

You see my words above I just wrote? Those words come from an honest heart and a deep longing. You see me and you know me. Thank you. It is in you that I can find all of this. It is also through you these things are brought to life. May my words and my desires not be for selfish gain, but rather may they continually come from a place of desiring to have others be encouraged. May they never be for my own self-empowering, but rather for others to find their voice and freedom. You have placed these burdens and these truths in me for a reason. May they not sit idle. May the fears I have be replaced with freedom. May the fear of man be replaced with awe of God. May the unknowns of the future be replaced with a trust in a known God. You are a God of power, love, and sound judgment (2 Timothy 1:7). God, I pray for your strength to live out the deep desires of my heart. I want to serve you with my days and with my words. Thank you for your constant faithfulness and friendship. I love you!