From the mouths of our young

Today was the annual Speech Meet at my sons' elementary school. It amazes me that kids, first through sixth grade, stood before their peers, parents, teachers, and judges to recite a memorized selection. Poems, Bible verses, prose, fables, folklore, Bible prose - these kids spoke with clarity, courage, and conviction. Some recited the Gettysburg Address or Martin Luther King, Jr's "I Have a Dream" - amazing! These kids are conquering a fear common to most adults - public speaking.

One of the young boys discovered that I was an author. After praising him for his effort, his dad and I discussed how we never would have stood before an audience to speak when we were in school. (Believe it or not, I was EXTREMELY shy!) The second grader, wishing never to do the meet again, suddenly blurted, "You're lucky. All you have to do is write. You don't have to talk."

I tried not to laugh. Speaking to kids at schools, with adults, at book signings - I can't believe how much speaking God has me doing. I actually enjoy meeting and speaking with people. What happened to that quiet, shy, little girl?

I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth;
Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude.
Psalm 109:30

I never dreamed that I would ever be a speaker, but where God leads, He will provide. Let's step out of our comfort zones like those kids did, and learn to speak out for the Lord!