Guest Post: Belle Thomas

This week I am delighted to welcome my friend Belle Thomas onto my blog for a post. Make sure to check out her blog, An Old Fashioned Girl, here and to subscribe!

Courage To Speak

What you have to say is important. Vitally important. Why? Because you are unique, as a writer, storyteller, songwriter, or just a person dealing with normal human interactions day in and day out, what you say has dramatic power.

In James 3, James talks about the power of the tongue. He compares it to a rudder of a ship or a small spark in a large forest. He goes on about how humans can tame every kind of beast, yet they cannot control their own tongues. In verse 10 he says, “And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!”

What a tremendous weight to hold, both in the words we speak and the words we write. This passage of scripture proves that out words are important. Our words can cause chaos. Why? Because they have meaning and it’s easy to abuse the gift of words.

I don’t know about you, but this prospect scares me.

But remember friend, God hasn’t given you (or me!) a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7).

Everything that can change the world also has the power to hurt to the world. So caution must be exercised. But we also must face our fears and step out in truth, because our words matter.

The things you have lived through are things that only you have lived through. The stories that come into your mind are stories only you have ever imagined.

The people who make a difference are the people who dare to think and dream differently than the rest of the world. They speak truth and dare to question things and therefore can make amazing things happen.

Take Matilda Wormwood from Roald Dahl’s Matilda for example. Matilda is just a five-year-old girl with an extraordinary mind. She is raised in a way that could make her forget about the strength she has in her mind. She is constantly being told that her genius isn’t normal and therefore is bad.

But someone (her teacher Miss Honey) believes in her and gives her the tools to use her mind in good and powerful ways.

In the end, her mind being the extraordinary thing it is, isn’t the thing that makes the difference, it’s the courage she exercises in order to stand up to her school’s oppressive headmistress Agatha Trunchbull, and set all of her fellow students, Miss Honey, and herself free.

She held a truth in her mind, and she shared that truth through her actions and words, and therefore made a difference. What she had to say was important. Just like what you have to say is important.

Truth can be dangerous, but truth is also beautiful. The Gospel is truth and it is the most beautiful story that was ever told.

All it takes is a little courage, courage to control the tongue, but yet not be afraid to use it because it can also be used for God’s glory. Courage to share truth in a world opposed to truth. Courage to stand up, like Matilda did.

Your words have power, my friend. They have power because God put you here on this Earth, in this time and place for a reason. If you have been through something or are going through something, God can use it for his glory, all you have to do is have the courage to speak.