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It started in the second service Sunday.  I could feel my voice – never a good sign.  You are supposed to hear your voice, not feel it.  It started as a little burn in my voice box and by the third service it had progressed to a full fledged fire.  The smart thing would have been to stop and not talk – but instead I pushed and hoarsely finished the last service.
We went to lunch with some friends, and my voice shifted from quiet to whisper.  By Outreach at 5:00, I had nothing.  My lips were moving and deacons were laughing.  There was no sound.
Here’s what I learned from having no voice.  First, people match your volume.  More people have whispered to me this week than when I was in kindergarten.  Even when I have a full voice, I need to remember to lower the volume sometimes.  Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Second, I learned that when you can’t talk, make your words count.  There were some conversations I really needed to have.  Others were optional.  I got more to the point and I let go of some words that never needed to be said or heard.  Listen to Ecclesiastes 5:2:  “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”
Finally, I learned to lean on others. I asked Clayton to take TruLife teaching for me.  I had to ask Mark to pray during Prayer Force.  We had a five hour calendar planning meeting – I had to let others carry to ball.  And they did.  God’s work doesn’t depend on me.  There is great joy in stepping back and seeing others step forward.
My voice does seem to be coming back, slowly.  I have gotten some rest and I am praying I’ll be ready on Sunday to preach.  But given what I learned from losing my voice, it makes me wonder – Did God want to teach me a lesson?
Does God want to teach you a lesson too?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 at 8:25 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.