Speak up
“Do any of you attend church?” asked my English teacher in my first year at high school.
In a packed classroom of my new peers (around 30 others), from somewhere came the courage to timidly raise my hand.
Looking around, I was only one in the room with my hand up! The teacher looked at me and said “Great! You can be our religious correspondent this year.”
Speaking up isn’t easy.
Somehow, that day as a 12 year old, I choose to raise my hand. Subsequently, I was given the opportunity on many occasions to stand and speak on any religious matter that arose in our English classroom discussions. In those moments I was able to articulate what I knew and believed.
And so it is in life, we need to stand and to speak up!
Speak Up!
Have you been scared to death to raise your voice in a difficult situation, or to face a courageous conversation?
It is not easy to stand up and speak up for truth – especially when it isn’t popular.
I recall another experience from many years ago when I was faced with a challenging work situation that had troubled me for far too long. It was also having an impact upon my team. Speaking truth to power is never easy, especially when the outcome may be a career change.
When the moment arrived for me to speak up, I sat in my seat thinking very carefully about what I’d say. Somehow I managed to articulate my position forcefully and clearly, yet thoughtfully and with respect. Even though I thought I was the lone voice in that meeting, it turned out I was not alone.
In our homes, our families, our communities and the organisations we choose to work for, frequently we know what the right thing to do is, yet, we may have trouble doing it.
Challenges, trials and opportunities will arise – they always do.
Remember who you are and who your best self is. Your words can have the power to influence for good.
James E. Faust said – “Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.”
How will you react when an opportunity arises for you to raise your hand or stand and speak up?