I heard this song a few years ago, and it really touched me!
Letting Perfectionism Suppress Our Voice
I feel like it can be easy to feel tempted to suppress our voice, and to doubt our contribution because of our imperfections and weaknesses. We might think, who am I to speak up? Especially when surrounded by louder voices, well-spoken and eloquent voices who seem to be carrying the discussion just fine. We might doubt our ability to even make a difference with our tiny voice.
We might not have everything together. We might even be dropping the ball on some important things. That’s just human. It shouldn’t exclude us from having the courage to share what we know and let our voices be heard. We don’t have to be perfect in order to speak up and share those things that come into our heart. We are all a work in progress. We can still bear testimony to principles we know to be true, even when we sometimes fall short. If everyone waited until they were perfect before sharing their testimony or insights, we would live in a very silent world.
It reminds me of these words, written about 400 A.D., by the ancient prophet Moroni: “Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.” (Moroni 9:31)
Imagine throwing out the entire Book of Mormon because of a perceived imperfection in the person who compiled it. What a tragedy that would be! How much wonderful light and truth we would miss out on!
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Some of the lyrics also remind me of the Holy Ghost. That tiny, still small voice. It really is so easy to let the noise of the world drown it out. But how important it is to give it heed, and to let it be heard. And to speak the things that the Spirit is pouring into our hearts and give it voice.
“Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices. .speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts” (Doctrine & Covenants 100:5)
As the song goes, “The more you overlook it and miss it day by day, it’s slowly disappearing- don’t let it fade away.“
When we feel that light of Christ swelling in our heart and testifying about a certain principle, we shouldn’t suppress it, but share it. Let it shine through! You’ve got some good things to say! Will it resonate with everybody? Maybe not, but it might resonate with somebody, and may be just exactly what that person needs.
We Each Have a Unique Contribution to Make
As I’ve been thinking about these things, it has inspired me to appreciate more, and not easily dismiss, other’s voices, and to not discount anyone’s unique contribution.
I love this insight from Hans T. Boom:
“In 2016 The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square came to visit the Netherlands and Belgium. And since I was involved in that exciting event, I had the opportunity to enjoy their performance twice.”
“During their performance I was thinking about what a tremendous undertaking it was to move a choir of that size. My mind was drawn to the big gong, which was difficult and probably costly to ship over in comparison with the violin, the trumpet, or other instruments you could easily carry under your arm. But looking at the actual involvement of this gong, I realized it was only hit a few times, whereas the other smaller instruments were involved for most of the concert. I reflected that without the sound of the gong, the performance would not be the same and so the effort had to be made to move this big gong all the way across the ocean.”
“Sometimes we might feel that we are, like that gong, good enough only to play a minor part in the performance. But let me tell you that your sound is making all the difference.”
Speaking to the women of the church (but I believe it can also apply to men), President Nelson said:
“Whether by exhortation or conversation, we need your voice teaching the doctrine of Christ. We need your input. . Your participation is essential and never ornamental!”
I love that. A couple other quotes it makes me think of:
“People are wonderful. Each one has a story, each something to give, each knows something interesting, something that can make your life richer.” (Marjorie Pay Hinckley)
“If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.” (Fred Rogers)
We each have unique experiences that have shaped who we are and how we see the world. You bring a unique perspective to the table, and that perspective is needed!
I absolutely love these thoughts from Elder Holland:
“Remember it is by divine design that not all the voices in God’s choir are the same. It takes variety—sopranos and altos, baritones and basses—to make rich music.”
“Our Heavenly Father delights to have us sing in our own voice, not someone else’s. Believe in yourself, and believe in Him. Don’t demean your worth or denigrate your contribution. Above all, don’t abandon your role in the chorus. Why? Because you are unique; you are irreplaceable. The loss of even one voice diminishes every other singer in this great mortal choir of ours, including the loss of those who feel they are on the margins of society or the margins of the Church.”
Think of some of the more unique people you know. What if they stopped letting their light shine and being themselves? What if they suddenly became discouraged and doubted their voice, and stopped contributing to the conversation? What if they felt self-conscious about being different, and as a result decided to fade into the background. That makes me so sad to think about! Life would be less rich and beautiful without their unique contribution.
I love this little clip! Every time I watch it, it encourages me to not shrink, even when I feel a little out of place, or a little discouraged. And to see everyone around me the way God sees them- as someone with a unique contribution to make and a valuable addition to the choir.
Every voice is needed ❤️