This statement is one of my standards for measuring whether or not I am being authentic and honest with my life. I always find it interesting how people interact with these words when I say them. It can sound motivational and inspiring or really confusing. I like how confusion can turn into curiosity and lead to questions. What does it mean to give your heart a voice? It first means you have to acknowledge that your heart wants to connect with you. Before you give your heart a voice, you have to take time to know what your heart wants to say. Allowing yourself to experience your emotions, desires, and questions (almost all the things we are quick to stuff and numb) gives you access to your own heart. It’s a beautiful journey that comes with intentionality because, although it is beautiful, it is certainly not easy.
I just spent the weekend with over 40 stunning women on top of a mountain for our spring Wholehearted & Courageous retreat. The trek they made to get to the top of that mountain deserves standing ovations!! The majority flew in from all over the US. Many of them facing fear and not allowing themselves to be governed by it. Instead, they advocated for themselves by honoring the voice of their hearts to be present at the retreat. Acknowledging desire is giving your heart a voice. What do you want? Take a few moments, even if you have to take those moments in the bathroom, put your hand on your heart and ask your heart this question “heart, what do you want?” I bet you the answer will undo you in some sort of way.
Part of our time together invited each one to creatively write who God has made them to be. Not just scribble religious words on paper, but to lean into silence and let themselves feel the vulnerability of the words spilling from their pen. Our pens were our heart extension in that breathtaking place. It wasn’t hard to find inspiration when all you had to do was look out and behold eagles soaring, hear wind blowing through the tall trees, catch double rainbows forming in the sky, gasp at tornado clouds funneling in front of you, stand entranced at the view of the small land masses scattered across Lake Shasta that looked like the bumps on a dragons back. Our location was breathtaking and nature most definitely stirred up the creative spirit in us. Engaging with our creative essence unlocked our voices. Each wrote a poem. Honest. Vulnerable. The act of writing itself was courageous. But here’s where we lean in even more. Here’s where each women in our space truly honored her heart’s voice. She stood up, elevated by a makeshift stage in front of her sisterhood and added her voice to her words. And that is where our breath was completely taken away. The utter and absolute sacredness of a women standing in her full self, reading while her voice trembled, words her hand tenderly brought forth from her heart was holy. We stood in awe of one another. I felt like the most heavenly gift was given again and again as each woman literally gave her heart a voice.
We would love to hear stories of how you give your heart a voice. You are worth the intention and courage it takes to do so.
Lastly, here’s my offering to you. I stood up and read this wholeheartedly, courageously. It felt scary but I knew I was among a sisterhood who held a tender space for me as I did for them.
I am a daughter of Eve. Wild.
I am protected like a wolf under the care of her pack
I am an arrow shot by the hand of a Master Archer. I will not miss my mark
I am Moana. A waymaker. A restorer of the heart.
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