Have you ever paid attention to what happens inside of you when you speak?

For some, you may immediately sense fear, others excitement, others may simply not have ever thought about it before.

Here’s a few of the thoughts I’ve had in the past when I’ve spoken:

I speak and…

• People shun me

• People don’t hear me

• People judge me

• People resent me

• People demean me

I walk away questioning myself…judging myself…spinning out in my mind.

I was recently reading in Acts and came upon Peter speaking in chapter 2 verse 14:

But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words…” Just a few verses later it says, “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence…

And concludes his power speech saying:

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.

As I read this passage I did a full stop. 

Peter; the Peter who always said the wrong things at the wrong time. 

Peter; the one who always spoke before he thought. 

Peter; the one who used his words to deny and betray the Lord he had previously said he’d never turn his back on. 

In fact, Peter seems to have lost his ability to speak much as all after his denial as we find him mumbling, trying to  hide among the crowd on the night of Jesus’ death.  

Have you ever been like Peter when you’ve spoken??

What defeat and shame he must have felt in that moment.

But Acts 2 a completely different Peter shows up.

So what happened?!? How did this man, Peter, go from cowering to confident? From passive to bold? From hiding among the crowd, to standing bold out before all in Jerusalem and addressing them with such powerful and piercing words? 

Jesus. 

Jesus Happened.

Restoration and transformation was found in the healing Jesus offered (John 21).

When we are wounded, or traumatized, we lose our voice. It is taken from us, frozen within us, or trampled on and crushed so we no longer use it. 

The healing of Jesus always gives us back that which is a birthright from the beginning – our voice (Gen. 1:26, John 1:1). Being created in God’s image means we, too, are given the ability to use our voice to speak into the lives of those around us and, in doing so, we reflect the glory of God.

A few weeks ago, I spoke at a conference hosted by one of my favorite ministries, Small Church Ministry. I noticed something in my own speaking during this conference that I hadn’t noticed before: a calm confidence. 

While this confidence comes in part from increased experience, knowledge, and practice of the craft of speaking, it comes most from the healing that Jesus and I have partner together to walk through. 

If you’ve been with me for very long, you know I often say, “Healing is both passive AND active.” 

Though the point of my initial wake up call was more than 5 years ago, I continue to do the needed work to actively participate in my healing while doing the work of receiving from the Lord HIS healing along the way. 

My voice I use today reflects the healing Jesus has done in me and I’ve participated in which gives me the ability to offer hope to the hurting and healing to the broken. 

So let me ask you:  What is ONE step you can take TODAY to begin or continue on in your own healing journey? 

Maybe it’s reaching out to a friend and becoming honest with them in your struggles.

Maybe it’s lamenting with the Lord and becoming honest with Him. 

Maybe it’s reaching out to a professional support (coach, counselor, or spiritual director.)

I don’t know what specific next step is good for you today, but I do know healing awaits you and you have the choice to step into that invitation. 

Christ is ready and eager to walk alongside you in your healing process. 

He is already delighting in you today, and he wants to show you so much more of His goodness for you in the days to come.