They are ever so lovely, those voices crooning from behind microphones, bellowing from bodies wrapped in spandex and sequins and sometimes very little at all. Their words are music and their presence seems to grip the hearts of hearers with an ease that makes you cringe when you think of how small your voice sounds in your own ears, how unappealing your message feels even deep within your own heart.
I’ve felt that way, too.
I’ve watched them dance and sing and speak and win fans in a five-minute performance when most days for me it feels like climbing a mile-high mountain getting one blog post written or sharing my own story or facing a tiny crowd to sing a borrowed song.
Sometimes I feel like an imposter. I can’t command an audience like that, so what’s the point?
Then there are days like yesterday when a woman I hadn’t seen in months walks up to me and places her hand on my shoulder and says, “I read your blog. I follow your life through your words, and I want you to know that I read your story and it’s like I know you, feel your heart, understand your story. When you write, I can see who you really are and it makes me want to share who I am, too.”
And suddenly there’s a ray of hope that breaks through the cloud of comparison.
Because really, I wouldn’t want to dress like those performers or dance the way they do. That isn’t me. That may be their stories, but it isn’t mine. And maybe it isn’t their story at all—maybe in reality it is a façade to cover what they’d rather the watching world not see.
I don’t want a façade. I want the world to see the real me.
And maybe that is what this whole thing is really about: me realizing that I don’t need to worry about how fancy or strikingly-clad or brightly lit my story is. Because it is simply mine.
And how amazing is it that I have the opportunity every single day to put myself out there, to show the real me without glitz or fanfare, to open myself up to everyday people who couldn’t relate to those Hollywood stars if they tried and who need a much more real and believable hand to hold on this journey.
I’m no prize-winning blue rose, but a tiny wildflower can bloom beautiful in a field of dry weeds.
Maybe the fact that I’m no celebrity makes me much more valuable to the millions out there who are anything but famous. People just like me. Maybe this little star doesn’t have to be blindingly brilliant to twinkle a smile in a hurting heart.
Perhaps in the end, it is the ordinary story that becomes extraordinary in its telling.
I’m willing to shine. Are you?
Beautifully written Lisa – How often I have felt the same way. And then, somehow, the Lord knows when I need that breath of encouragement. Someone will stop me or call me on the phone and thank me for a word I had written that day, or the week before and it is enough to keep moving me forward in sharing my story.
Those God-hugs do come at just the perfect times, don’t they, my friend? They keep us going, keep us reminded of what this is all about, what He will do with our simple willingness to speak as He directs. Thank you for sharing your heart with us today. I wish you love and frequent hugs from Heaven.
Beautiful post Lisa! The comparisons are so hard to compete with sometimes and then God gently reminds us we are just as important to him as anyone else. Thank you for sharing your heart!
You are so welcome, Sarah. I love the way you put that–yes, God loves us, calls us His daughters and sons, and I can’t imagine a more beautiful pronouncement of our importance than that! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, dear friend.
Lisa – I’m all for wild flowers! They bloom where their seeds land! Bless you this is just the post I needed today.
I’m so glad to hear that, my friend. I wish you a day filled with beautiful blooms all around you.
“I don’t want a façade. I want the world to see the real me.” “Maybe the fact that I’m no celebrity makes me much more valuable to the millions out there who are anything but famous.” WOW! I am still so nervous to shine (still working up the courage to start a blog, I am not a flowing, flowery writer, just plain and simple, kind of what you see is what you get), but knowing that others were/are just like me helps. And knowing that it is all in God’s hands, not mine, helps too. Thanks for this post.
You are so welcome, Tina. That is a relief to me, too, my friend! I would encourage you to start a blog. Have you heard of Jeff Goins’ free 12-step blog starter walk-through? It makes the whole thing wildly simple and fun. I recommend Blogger for beginning bloggers because it is user-friendly, super easy to set up, and the FREE version is fully customizable (something you won’t find on some other blogging sites). There are templates you can start off with, but you can switch out the images and change any font, color, or layout in the design. It’s fun to tweak as you go. Go for it, girl! You’ll have a bunch of cheerleaders behind you and plenty of support. Love you, my friend!
I have Jeff Goins’ “The Short Guide to Launching a Self-Hosted Blog in 8 Minutes or Less” blog post bookmarked (Mary DeMuth pointed me that way in one of her blog posts). I love Jeff Goins’ blog. I have been learning so much. I actually have started two blogs, both of which I quit. I think it just wasn’t the right time, now may be! Especially with all this support. 🙂 I will look up the 12-step blog starter walk-through. Thank you, my friend.
Sounds like a wonderful plan. I can’t wait to read your voice coming through beautifully in your blog posts!
Lisa – Thank you for making a difference every day to the one’s who cower in the corner waiting to be heard. <3 your heart to be transparent
That is one of the nicest compliments I could ever receive, dearest. I’ll be the one sauntering over to your corner and making you grin till you’re comfortable enough to mingle a bit. Thank you for sharing such a sweet comment with me. You bless my heart.
You are right when you shine you are encouraging others to shine as well, when all the stars shine together it lights up the sky! One star alone cant light up the sky but collectively all shining together makes it a beautifully lit sky!
What a lovely way to put that, Amanda! I love your insight. And I also happen to love stars. Bless you, sweet friend.
You touch on a sensitive area in an indirect way. All of us can be play-actors, hiding behind a mask, projecting a so-called “Christian” image. The real challenge is for us to be real, genuine, with no facade. I love it that God is able to break through all of that and show us our real selves. I think maybe it was C. S. Lewis that said, the closer we are to God the more fully we are ourselves. I love your refreshing insight. The glitz and glamor is an empty endeavor. Keep on writing! Very nice. Blessings …
Thank you so much, dear Norma. It is only in our authenticity that we can truly speak into another’s heart. The world is filled with fakes. What they need is God’s people being true to who He created them to be, and encouraging others to do the same. Thank you for sharing your heart.
Your voice touched me today, Lisa. Thank you.
Thank you, dear Cheryl. You stopping to share your heart touches mine. Bless you, my friend.
Very spot on! I would rather read a “nobody” who is far from a celebrity than someone who has a polished public persona. One I can relate to, one is purely for entertainment!
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Well-put, my friend! Thank you for sharing that bit of wisdom. I wish you God’s very best blessings today and beyond.
Lovely, Lisa! You give us all hope in the stories that are ours.
Thank you, dear Julie. It is my heart to give hope, to share God’s perfect hope with those who are hurting. He is our eternal hope and peace! Blessings to you, my friend.