Can One Voice REALLY Be Loud Enough?

It takes Passion to keep going.

Am I the only one who is guilty of seeing something that needs to be changed, yet at times holding onto that warped thinking of "Well, someone else will come along {who's better qualified, more educated, smarter, etc.} and they will take care of this."   Whether it's an issue in the community, in the state, in the nation, or in the world...it's often so easy to just think that my one little voice isn't loud enough to make a difference.  But what if everyone thought that?  And those people who DO prove to be loud enough - what makes them so special and more powerful?  Granted, we are all born with different gifts and strengths...we are born with different likes and dislikes.  But at the basis of human life there are some things that are always wrong.  And those wrongs are things we should raise our voices against.  

Wilbur Wilberforce was a very loud voice against slavery.  More precisely, he could be called a solo voice in the fight during much of his life.  He was not always popular, and at times his fight against slavery took everything out of him.  It affected his health, his relationships, his mind, his strength.  What he never lacked was passion - and that was what his fight against something so wrong could never take.  Maybe that is where we often get lost with the power behind our voice: in our true PASSION.  Passion for fellow humans.  Passion for Truth.  Passion for Jesus.  The Apostle Paul was another man of passion.  His passion first started as a Pharisee against Jesus; he was passionate to uphold the Jewish law.  But when He met and fell in love with the CREATOR of the law, his passions changed.  He then wanted to change the world around him, and bring to light the Truth that would then bring real change.  He was one very loud voice for the cause of Christ.  

My life has been anything but always exemplary.  Looking back along the road of my journey there are stains of mistakes, disappointments, hurts and stumbles.  But rather than seeing each of those marks as reasons to keep quiet, I can choose to hold tightly to the lessons learned, the blessings bestowed and strengths gained - and I can find a way to use my voice to help others.  My voice CAN be loud enough if I have the passion to fuel it against the things in this world that are wrong.  I don't have to be a Wilbur Wilberforce, or an Apostle Paul to make a difference...I can simply be Donna Kay, and my voice can still matter. 

When I think about the end of my life and what words will be on my headstone, I think of words like "diligent, persistent, passionate, kind"...this is the legacy I want to leave behind for others to remember. So this must be the life I choose to live to build that legacy.  

What is your passion?  What do you use your energy to fight for in this life?  We all have choices every day as to where we will speak up, and where we will be silent.  Make those choices wisely, and let your voice make a difference in this world. 

Celebrating This Day....

Today is January 16th. Once again it has rolled around and looms right in front of me.  Twelve years ago on this date my Grandmother was killed in a car accident in Concord, North Carolina.  Senseless, tragic, life-changing, devastating are just a few of the words that barely begin to describe that day.  Lenora Christopher Swink: the most wonderful Grandmother, confidante, friend, and Christian {among many other "wonderfuls" that she was to me and so many others} was taken from us by a tragedy that left a huge hole in the lives of many.  For a few years after her death, it was almost as if I had died as well on that day.  It is a day that I will never forget, but as the years have passed I have found on this day that rather than feel the anger and sadness I held onto for so long, I now feel a bittersweet celebration of my Grandmother's life.  Her birthday is in the Spring, and on that date we celebrate her date of birth.  But as the years have passed since her death, and I have grown in who I am, I find that on January 16th I now celebrate the wonderful life she lived, and the date she entered her eternal life.  This was actually what she was living for... what she was striving to attain.  And while I miss her, I wouldn't wish her back to this crazy world.


My expectations were that I would wake up this morning, and my first thoughts would undoubtedly be of the loneliness of the past twelve years without her. But God has been gracious in His mercy today.  I got up, grabbed a cup of coffee and headed out the door to Pilates class.  And on the quick drive there, I prayed for strength to get through this day...grace that is sufficient for me to go through this day and see the blessings rather than the holding onto the hurt.  And then I heard these words in a song that came on my Sirius/XM radio station:

"And it’s good
I got more than I ever thought I would
I can finally see how all the wrong turns and the heartaches
The lessons in the mistakes
Help me count these blessings like I should
And it’s so good

Every day’s a gift that I’ve been given
Every breath feels like a second chance
And everything I’ve done heaven has seen
And God just keeps on forgiving me, and I
Do my best to change what I can

And it’s good to know that I have been forgiven
Good to have her laying by my side
I’ve been given more than I deserve
For a past so full of bridges burned
I couldn’t make this better if I tried"
 

"Good" by Dave Barnes

There was no doubt in my mind that God was hugging me up in His arms and giving me exactly what I needed to get through this day.  To see the blessings my Grandmother placed in my life, that have lasted on and on even years after she was gone.  What a gift she was to my life, and to so many others.  My tears today are a celebration of her life, of the love she had for me, of the impression she left upon my heart that shaped me in many ways into the woman I am today.  

 

 
Have you ever experienced a hurt or disappointment that seemed too huge to handle?  Something you were pretty sure would take your breath away forever?  Let me assure you - God is a big god.  We were created by a Creator who loves us very much.  Nothing catches Him by surprise, and nothing that we go through in this life goes to waste.  He can turn anything around to bring Him glory.  His ways are definitely not my ways, and I have come to accept that I may never understand many of the why's and how's in this crazy life {at least not on this side of glory}... but I hold tightly to my faith that the day will come when it will all make sense. From here on, I will hold tightly to each tear that falls from missing someone who was so dear and important to my life...I will be thankful for every moment that I was so blessed to share with her.  

It's a Happy New Year -- and It's My Happy Birthday....

From the time I was a child my birthday felt like an afterthought.  To me it always seemed like I must've been born on the most inconvenient day of the year... and as I grew up, I became more and more convinced that was the truth.  January 2nd.  Just the second day into a completely new year.  Most people are just returning to work after New Year's, and some are returning after the entire holiday season.  But almost unanimously, people are tired from the holiday activities and busy-ness, they are broke, they are partied out. The last thing they want to do is throw on a birthday party hat.

Yet here we are again... it's January 2nd.  And it is my birthday.  But maybe we need to look at this entire year to get the full picture.  Afterall, it's a whole 2-days-old now!  I had a wonderful New Year's Eve, simply because I spent it with people I care about.  And New Year's Day - well, it was perfect.  I kept the Christmas tree lights on almost all day, drank coffee & hot tea throughout the day, watched movies on TV in between some football games, camped out on the sofa under a big warm blanket napping of & on through the afternoon, and when it was finally late enough moved to my bed to sleep for the night.  Awoke this morning to my birthday.  I've done this 48 times now.  And honestly, it never gets old!  I'm not one for needing to be in the spotlight.  Just the opposite actually.  But I absolutely love to hear "Happy Birthday" on MY special day!  Maybe it's knowing that someone remembers me, or they are thinking of me.  Whatever it is, it makes me feel important and special and treasured... and loved. 

So now that I am here - 48-years-old - what will I do?  What resolutions could I possibly make this year that I haven't made in years past?  Truth is, I don't really believe in New Year's resolutions... rather, I make resolutions every day to be a better, kinder, more compassionate, more generous person.  But this year I find I am more passionate about embracing my life, my relationships, my walk with Jesus, my health... more than I've ever felt before.  There was a lot of loss, sickness and fears in 2013, and it's time to move past them.  So 2014, combined with turning a new number, will be my inspiration to wake each morning and think first of what I'm thankful for... even if it is just simply that I awoke for one more glorious day on this earth.