Let’s talk whispers. I had a whisper moment very recently and I am still in awe of the experience. I’m wondering how many of you have experienced the same kind of gentle moments.
Let me first define what I mean by a whisper. A whisper is a soft voice I hear in my heart, mind, and soul all at the same time. I want to be clear, the whisper I hear is not audible. Wrapped in the softness of such a whisper, there is usually a combination of truth, guidance, accountability, and love. These whispers have been known to direct my steps in very specific areas of my life oftentimes needing attention. I refer to these whispers as God-whispers.
I have no doubt ignored many whisper moments, but I don’t want to give too much attention to the wonder because I believe it feeds our negativity, and many of us do not need any assistance feeding the negative talk in our very own heads. I only mention the ignore aspect because I think it’s important to be aware of and hopefully help us to notice whispers sooner. Still and quiet serves many purposes; hearing a whisper might be one of them.
Winter’s ending months are difficult for me in many ways. I’m confident if I had a label that addressed how to care for me, part of it would read requires sunshine, getting outside is important, and laughter is necessary. Because January and February typically usher in very little sunshine and temperatures that dip into single digits, and sometimes as far down as the negative 25-degree range, I start to feel a little irritable. My mind gets a little darker, my attitude not so positive, and everything just feels a whole lot heavier. My husband’s already busy schedule turns a little busier, and for this reason, our days start a little earlier and go a little later. I can assure you this is not a laughter-infused positive mood booster.
My body was absorbing and feeling the heaviness of an unprecedented pandemic year filled with so much hurt and pain, division affecting families, friends, and the church. Sleep had significantly lessened, my emotions were everywhere, and it felt as if hope was being squashed, pushed down far into the darkness, no longer visible through the eyes that filled with tears yet to fall. Avoiding life and people, although exhausting in many ways, somehow becomes easier in the darkness. Negativity screams from within; every word sounding like an undeniable truth. Prayers somehow seep out, perhaps through the few tears that happen to escape the prison they’ve been held captive in; prayers of the Psalms, prayers to be seen and heard, and prayers to be gently held and tightly hugged.
And then the whisper. The whisper, that if uttered by any human wandering this earth, would have been pushed away. But this whisper fell over me, all at once. It landed at the exact same time in my mind, on my heart, and within my soul. It was clear. And it was truth.
The whispers are gentle…You have these workshops I gave you; you designed them as you trusted my guidance for every part of each one. You know how they work; you know that they work. You know the benefits, you know they help…and yet, you have not used them – not a single one – for yourself or others, in the heaviness of these days filled with grief and darkness. I have been here, by your side, this entire time. I heard each prayer that slipped out from the corner of your eyes; I also know each prayer tucked inside those tears you keep hidden away. I’m here for you, here waiting for you, here to guide your steps and direct your paths. I love you and I’m here.
Gentle guidance, solid truth, unconditional love, and much-needed accountability, all wrapped in the softness of a whisper.
Without too much thinking, three of the four creative workshops designed for H3R Journey became a part of the week…and they were working in ways I could not have predicted or manufactured. These workshops were working in the very ways they were designed to work That’s also how whisper moments work.
The kids and I went on a long wandering drive and walk adventure because the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the temperature above freezing. We have been doing school inside, at home, on computers, for months, but on this particular day, I said no to inside and yes to outside. We explored our little town with the tease of Spring as the backdrop, and winter’s beauty at our fingertips. Snow-covered ponds, a bridge, and train tracks. Snowman building and snow melting into trickling creeks. Barns and fields and planes and buildings, icicles and puddles, and snow angels followed by snowball fights. The laughter released tears of happiness and smiles that never went away. We should never deny ourselves the opportunity to wander outdoors in the fresh air, surrounded by nature.
Before jumping back into schoolwork (let’s be honest, it wasn’t going anywhere), I asked the kids to do a creative writing piece using our wandering adventure as their topic. I gave no rules; it could be a poem, a short story, a journal entry, or whatever they felt like writing. I told them they could add drawings if they wanted to, again stressing there were no rules. This was their creative piece to write and/or draw about. Upon completion, they set their papers on my desk and then returned to the remote learning/homeschool routine, a little lighter, a little freer, and a little happier.
The next day while drinking coffee in the quietness of the morning, I picked up the kids’ writings and began to read in no particular order. A smile appeared as words took me back to our adventure, my heart filled with awe, and by the second one, laughter out loud happened. I eagerly picked up the last one and as I read it my eyes filled with tears, my heart began to hurt, and my head dropped. Within the writing and the drawings, deep insight and hidden feelings had been revealed. I studied the pictures, reread the words, and then began to talk to the Lord. Help me. Show me what to do. Something is needed and You know what it is. Please let me know it too.
The weekend arrived. My husband had said he wanted to talk; thoughts and ideas that had been brought front and center of his mind, in a pressing kind of way. Whispers, perhaps? I was also eager to share the creative writing I had prayed over earlier in the week. We grabbed our coffee, sat in our chairs, and began to talk.
Whisper moments can lead to grander, bigger moments. The God-whisper I had heard earlier in the week, the one I listened to, and the one I chose to honor, that very whisper led to the very conversation with my husband a few days later. I had no idea it would all fit together. Puzzle pieces, connecting. The creative writing had fit perfectly with the topic my husband wanted to discuss. Our conversation led to a family meeting that began with prayer; it held tears and hugs, understanding and grace, apologies and forgiveness, and resets that made way for a clean slate and a fresh start. A sister hugged her brother whose eyes were holding tears, and brothers found a way to smile at one another, all while parents gently walked through sibling trauma history with hopes of healing and growth for their children’s future.
Whisper moments are soft, they hold space for the beauty, love, tenderness, and guidance to exist together in the sometimes-unavoidable difficult stuff life can bring. Don’t ignore the moments. Listen to the whispers.
~jeh
Wow, what an incredible piece! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Twyla. Your words touched my heart!