Speak up

I was asked to give a lesson at church based on the information the Elder L. Tom Perry presented in his October 2011 General Conference address, "Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear." I love the scripture that the title references, so I was excited to do this, until I read it, and remembered that it was really all about missionary work. Not my favorite topic. But I'll do it. (The lesson that is. We'll see about the missionary work.)

In a recent address at BYU-I, Elder Quinton L. Cook encouraged those in attendance to work with other religious groups to strengthen the moral and religious principles of our country. An article in the Church News reporting on the event said,

One of the reasons the attack on the moral or religious principles has been so successful is because of the reluctance of people of faith to express their views, he said. That is why it is so important for individuals to actively participate in speaking up.

This post is not about missionary work or politics. But it is about something that both men addressed: the need to speak up and to share who we are and what we believe.

It's not easy. Sometimes people we really care about will have other views or beliefs. And that's OK. That's the way it should be. But right now in the world, we seem to have fallen into an "I'm right and you're wrong" mentality that makes true dialogue nearly impossible. So rather than risk either offending someone, or being offended by their response, sometimes we (and I mean me) say nothing. What is wrong with saying what we believe and being open to the fact that we might learn something from listening to what someone else thinks?

Saying nothing means that our voices are not heard. Saying nothing means that someone else may share our thoughts and feelings, but never be brave enough to say it, because no one else seems to think or feel that way. Sometimes we need one person to say it and start the ball rolling and then like-minded individuals come out of the woodwork. Take for example this post. The author struggled to write it. He worried about offending people. And maybe some were offended, but many were touched and some were healed by what he had to say. What you have to say is important. Never forget that.

I was trying to be serious in this post, but this keeps popping into my head. The message is good. And yes, I'm brave enough to say that I like Barry Manilow. Now quit laughing, and either watch the video or skip ahead to the next part.

Sometimes we are afraid to say things because we don't want others to see us as less than perfect. And then someone else sits alone wondering why their life is so messed up when everyone around them is perfect. By sharing who we are and what we feel and what we believe, we build bridges to others, helping them to feel not so alone. And since I already put in one song, we might as well have another, a beautiful message written by one of the greats and sung here by a wonderful interpreter.

What I took from Elders Cook and Perry is that in order to be true to myself, I need to take chances and speak up about who I am and what I believe, even if it is scary sometimes. So, I'm starting a new blog series (which will probably have all of one entry, like most of my other series ideas. Or maybe not). Stay tuned for the first installment.