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Standing in front of some of my fellow college freshman on the small platform in our classroom, I watched the eyes and faces of those who were listening, even as I spoke. It was probably the first time I had sensed the intensity of an audience of my peers. My words, I knew, evoked their intensity, because although our first assignment for Speech 101 was to present a personal experience, I had chosen an experience that was brief, but still personally traumatic, and capable of bringing chilling shudders from an audience. (To this day, I am unaware of how I was willing to let down the wall of protection that I normally surrounded myself with.) I captured my audience, including my teacher, and I recognized the power of communication that comes from somewhere deep inside us. The experience I had shared was personal, impacting, and very real.
I have often looked back on that day when I think about the things God wants us to communicate about Himself. We are exhorted in Scripture to share the truth we know with others. Not all of us are teachers in a classroom or speakers on a stage, but all of us are still given the same exhortation. Truth can be presented very academically, and even very soundly theologically, with deliberate organization of its components. Some will listen. Most though will listen more intensely when they are aware of the personal, impacting reality on the life of the speaker.
Children sing with exuberance that they possess a light within themselves that they want to allow to shine brightly for all those around them to see. Hide it? Never. Allow Satan to snuff it out? No way! Their song parallels the teachings of Jesus. Yes, our lights can shine without a word ever being spoken, but sometimes, words become necessary. And those words are empowered when they come from a heart that knows their impacting reality. The words then are part of the very nature of the speaker. The heavens speak. It is their nature to do so. They proclaim the glory of God and display His craftsmanship. Their message goes out to the world, and for those who will listen, God is made known. When I read the words of the psalmists, I hear their hearts. Their message comes from the interweaving of truth with a reality of life that is both present and eternal. Precious child of God, our lives have been impacted in so many ways by His truth. May the reality of that truth overflow to impact still others.
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