The Cornerstone of Voice...It's Essential Nature--a Keyhole to Thriving (Part 1 )

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When I think about what I have seen that makes one truer, most authentic, makes us the most "us", brings out our accurate essence...voice rises to the top.  Finding an outward expression that matches what is within.  Finding a comfortable way to honor what is inside by naming it on the inside.

So I keep a plum line in the back of my mind:  "Speak the truth in Love" (Ephesians 4:15).  When in doubt, when uncomfortable, when stuck, when all other dodging and striving fails....I "speak the truth in Love".  I try to find the truest thing I can say and find words to say it in the most loving way. There is no number to tell you how many stuck and unsatisfied places this has moved me through.


I stumbled upon this piece of thought by Diane Langberg.  I absolutely love her theology of voice. I wanted to share it with you in hopes it inspires you to extend yourself:

"We will begin our discussion by first considering the nature of persons as they were created to be.  The shattering of something is better understood when a picture of its original wholeness is seen....many volumes have been written about the image of God in mankind...I would like to consider... the aspect of voice..."

"We learn through the existence of Scripture itself and through the entrances of the Son of God into time that it is the very nature of God to speak, to communicate his thoughts--his very self--to others.  Jesus, in being called the Word, suggests that self-expression is inherent in the Godhead.  God is forever seeking to speak himself into creation...Again and again in Genesis we read "And God said..."
By nature, God is perpetually articulate....What does it mean to be created in the image of One Who Speaks?  It means that you and I as the created ones have also been given voice.  We need to understand what our voices were meant to be if we are to comprehend their loss.

Voice is that which articulates personhood.  It is the representation of the person.  it is the person speaking himself or herself into the world.  Voice explains the person to others in terms that can be understood. Voice is an extension of the self.

You and I are created in the image of God, who is eternally speaking. God speaks, we speak. God's word makes him accessible, our word makes us accessible.  God's word creates, our word creates.  God's word explains himself to us; our word explains ourselves to others.  God's essence is found in the Word; our essence is expressed in our voice.  To be in the image of God is to have a voice and speak that voice into the world...anything that silences the voice destroys the image of God in human beings."

No wonder so much goes awry when we are not brave enough to express ourselves. Guard tight and take every so seriously your right to extend yourself, to keep the image of God in you clear for all to see.  Though it may be uncomfortable...I challenge you at every corner it occurs to you, push through the discomfort  and fear.  Articulate your truth and thus preserve that image of God that is stamped in your truth.

And brace yourself for the blessing that is sure to come...

Reach out to me if you feel you need support and tools to make progress in this gift of self extension and self expression.  I would love to help you apply this salve to some of the stuck and hurting places in your life.

You are loved.

Mandt Langberg, Diane. (2003). Counseling Survivors of Sexual Abuse. Xulon Perss, 

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