Chaplain's Corner

Writing is something my wife and I do. I never intended to be a writer of any kind. Oh, I had intended to write sermons, but only to be spoken on Sunday mornings, never to be published.

Now with computers and the internet, “blogging” has become a common way that people write; people blog about everything. This column is presented as a blog on mysteinbach.ca and has been for some time. Recently my wife has ventured into the world of blogging. Unlike me, she has always wanted to be a writer and is far better at it than I am. I’m a pretty down to earth kind of guy; my wife is more the intellectual in the family. If you have an interest in reading what the other Hirst is thinking about you can read my wife’s blog at justjanicehirst.blogspot.com.

I mention this because self expression is important. Many of you have been “silenced” in one way or another over the years. You have been told by somebody that your thoughts don’t matter. You have been treated as if you were to be seen but not heard. If this has happened to you, you may experience a lot of self-doubt about whether or not you have anything worthwhile to say.

I would like to encourage you to find your voice, for having a voice is a very important spiritual act. Writing is a helpful way of doing that for a number of reasons. First, when you write, you can “speak” without having to let anyone hear you. You may ask, “Well, what is the point of that?” Well, the point is, until you have the confidence to put your thoughts into words, you won’t speak them; and putting your thoughts into words on paper is a non-threatening way of self-expression. You may have heard of “journaling” which is simply a way many people get their thoughts into words even though they may never share those thoughts with anyone but themselves.

Second, writing to finding your voice is important because if you are afraid you won’t say what is on your mind the “right” way, you have a chance to scratch out your first, second, third attempts until you like and feel comfortable with the way you have expressed yourself. When you talk there are no do-overs, but when you write, you can put your thoughts down, ponder them, go back and edit them, then if you feel like sharing them, you are comfortable that you have found the right words to say what is on your mind.

A third reason writing is a good way to find your voice is that it allows you to “speak” without interruption, without fearing being corrected, argued with or out argued by someone who is better able to talk. There have been many times that people simply do not speak because they know that the person they are with is quicker and a more capable speaker and that the other has the habit of “burying” them with words and arguments. Maybe my ideas are simple or possibly even foolish, but when I speak I want to be treated with dignity and not as if I were some kind of stuttering idiot and I have felt that way too often.

Self expression is so important for it is as we express ourselves that we discover ourselves. There is something important about taking our thoughts and speaking them. The process of organizing our thoughts, choosing the words, and setting the context for what we want to say that helps us understand ourselves. Our spirits need our words; many of us feel a kind of “death” inside because we have so little safety in expression ourselves. We would know little of God if He hadn’t spoken and we know little of each other until we speak. Find a way to find your voice!