Find Your Voice

     When it comes to popularity, Spongebob Squarepants has been the undisputed king of Nickelodeon cartoons for quite some time, an impressive feat considering the show is celebrating its 20th anniversary in a few weeks. That said, there was one cartoon during the 2000s that was pretty popular and quite funny its own right: The Fairly Oddparents. Starring Timmy Turner, an average kid that no one understands, and Cosmo & Wanda, his two magical fairies that grant his every wish, the show had a unique sense of humor and comedy that provided its unique voice on Nickelodeon. Speaking of which..

     In one particular episode of The Fairly Oddparents, Timmy Turner wishes to switch voices with Chip Skylark, a popular singer (that was also voiced by Chris Kirkpatrick of NSYNC). Naturally, this causes Skylark's singing career to tank and Timmy to star in the school musical -- and potentially a lucrative singing career. When Timmy realizes what's at stake, he wishes for Chip Skylark to have his voice again. Chip Skylark proceeds to resurrect his singing career by singing a new song: "Find Your Voice". The song talks about changing one's situation and the way that one's perceived by...finding one's voice, something that one has the choice to do. 

     When this episode of The Fairly Oddparents first aired, I was 9 years old, almost the same age as Timmy Turner was (10). Flash forward 15 and a half years later, and Skylark's song feels more relevant and applicable in my life than it ever did growing up watching that show. Finding one's voice can be a struggle for a lot of people, myself included. How is one ever supposed to find one's voice in a world that seemingly can't stop talking? Or when one does find one's voice, how does one use it? 

     The first step to finding one's voice is by finding a quiet place and canceling out all the other noise. In the midst of all the noise, it may seem that the way to find one's voice is by talking over everyone else, perhaps to the point of shouting. Sadly, this occurs on TV shows today with the rise of "hot takes", sound bites, and instant gratification. Finding one's voice shouldn't have to mean interrupting, shouting, and throwing out a few one-liners. That may gain others' attention, but not necessarily others' respect. No, to find our voice first means finding a quiet place. 

     The next step to finding one's voice is through listening in the midst of the quietness. In the quietness, we can listen and learn who we - and whose we are. This can be tricky, as there are inevitably voices of doubt that race through our mind that say we're not good enough, that we'll never measure up, that we'll never find our voice. Those voices and thoughts need to be canceled out as well because they're even more destructive than the all the other voices out there in the world. It's one thing for the world to tell us of all this, it's a lot more damaging when we tell ourselves this. We need to listen for that voice that says we are good enough, that we do measure up, and that we have a voice. You know, the voice of our Father: God.

     Whose are we? God's. We're God's children and we're loved by Him. That's the voice that we need to listen for, not the ones that tell us everything we're not or never will be. Who are we? Well, for starters, we're children of God in need of a savior, a savior that's attainable for all who believe in Jesus Christ. To find our voice and ourselves, we first have to find God. When we have that in place, we've got our foundation. Once we have that foundation, the rest of the answer to "who we are" is up to us to define and decide. This, of course, requires more introspection.

     Figuring out who we are is an ongoing task, one that only gets challenging we fear that who we are is super quirky and out there. At least, that's what I've always struggled with and been self-conscious about. It only feels magnified when I tell people that I enjoy grocery shopping (particularly at 8 on Saturday mornings), reference and quote cartoons, sing Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" out loud, or talk to people about what a chicane is (a serpentine curve added to a road by design to slow traffic or used in auto racing to add an extra challenge). Then again, I've found more enjoyment in being my quirky self than trying to be someone I'm not.  It's also helped me find my voice, as has blogging on a regular basis. 

     The last step to finding our voice comes from how we present and carry ourselves. By that, I mean speaking with confidence, having resolve in one's convictions, and standing up for what one believes in. This of course, works best when coupled with staying true to oneself. It's a lot easier to be confident when we're true to ourselves than when we're pretending to be someone we're not. As mentioned earlier, finding our voice is an ongoing process that takes time. It's not something that's done overnight or accomplished all at once. The beauty of it though is seeing ourselves grow in the process and a finding a voice and strength that we never knew but one that we've always had. 

     As 2019 reaches the halfway point, I found myself reflecting some this morning. The first half of 2019 has been really good to me. It's included trips to see family, celebrate family and friends, taking chances, pursuing new opportunities, and through it all, finding my voice and growing as a person. Through it all though, I've found that the true story this year has been about God, being a small part of His story, and the growth that I've seen in my own life through Him. Finding my voice and staying true to myself has meant getting out of my head, being comfortable with who I am, and walking with confidence and resolve. Moving forward to the latter half of 2019, my goal is continue growing and not to lose sight about why I've enjoyed this year: finding my voice and being true to myself. I've still got a ways to go, much more to learn, but it's been incredible to take a step back and reflect on it all. Referencing and listening to a song from The Fairly Oddparents is icing on the cake.