The Voices We Listen To

The Artisan Soul (by Erwin McManus)

Chapter 2 -- Voice: The Narrative that Guides

THE VOICES WE LISTEN TO INFLUENCE OUR ABILITY TO TELL OUR OWN STORY

 

p. 39  “There is a stark difference between art and imitation....Even an authentic creative journey begins with imitation.  It’s how we learn everything.”

A child learns by imitation.  How have you seen your child imitate you?

p. 41  “...having our own voice, which is the point where we enter into the journey of the artisan soul....Before we speak for ourselves, others speak on our behalf.  Before we are able to declare who we are, our soul forms around the declarations of others telling us who we are....The soul is made of malleable material.  It forms itself around whatever material is informing it.  Unfortunately, the people who have the greatest influence in our lives rarely understand the power of their words to shape who we become.  They never fully understand that what informs us forms us.  Words spoken into a soul are like the hands of a potter pressed against wet clay.”

Who had the greatest voice/influence in your life?

Who has the greatest voice in your child’s life?

Be positive and specific.  Focus on words that portray your child’s skills and character.  “You are more responsible than that.  I know you can clean your room better than this.”  “You are so patient to wait for your sister to get out of the car so you can play in it next.”

Set aside “sacred time” (one-on-one) with your child.  It transforms them and you.

Positive words are powerful, especially after hard days.  Tell your child, “You did such a good job with .....”

Pray with kids.  It is a way of speaking into their hearts.  Talk with them about God.

p. 43  “To find our own voice, we must first wrestle with the voices inside our brains.”

What are your other voices?  Which voices are God’s, someone else’s, or yours?

Do you feel that the way you “mother” is an authentic expression?  Do you do your work the way you do it or the way someone else would do it?  What could you do to make your work more authentic?

Other moms can be judgmental and harsh.  Let it slide right off our shoulders, and not reach our heart.

It’s easy to compare ourselves to other moms...not a healthy perspective.  Someone always comes out on top, or bottom. 

Sometimes we deal with sleep deprivation and have a short fuse.

Enjoy 5 min of eye to eye time with your child. That fills their tank.

Have goals and expectations for each day, but not so high that we are disappointed if we don’t do everything we want.

Maintain a good perspective.  Be authentic with yourself.

Think of your “older self” and what you would say to yourself.

“All the voices that seek to make us small and irrelevant and worthless find power only when we have allowed them to become our voice.”

Who do you allow to speak into your life?  Are there any voices you need to change?

What’s a lie you’ve believed about yourself in the past? Or now?  Recognize and release that lie, and replace it with the truth.

What voices am I allowing my child to hear?

As moms, we feel alone sometimes, especially when our husband doesn’t understand all we do with the kids.  We want our husband to bear our burden with us.  But our husband wants us to bear his burden, too.

p. 45  “We also have to believe that there is a story we are supposed to be in, a story that is bigger than us and, because of that, a story that makes us bigger.”

Think of past and future generations.  We will impact the next generation, and even the next after that (as grandmothers).

p. 54  “Until the voice that guides us declares our freedom, nothing and no one in the world can make us free...What is the narrative that guides us?”

p. 55  (story of God creating Eve for Adam)  “I love how God meets a need that Adam had no language for.  It is a beautiful picture of the intimate concern of God.”

God knows our needs even before we do...and he provides for us.  He is with us, even in our loneliness.  He provides our physical, social, spiritual, emotional needs.

p. 63  “One of Picasso’s earliest memories is the internal narrative passed on to him by his mother...”

Think of football players on TV and how they say, “Hi, mom!”

Moms, you have a powerful voice in your child’s life.  It can be scary, but it can also be a great opportunity.

p. 64  “When we hear the voice of God or heed Jesus’ invitation to follow Him, it leads us out of captivity into freedom.  When we hear God’s voice, we finally find our voice...when we speak, our words have power.”

p. 65  “His (God’s) words spoken into existence alter humanity forever.”

God’s words make the difference in our lives, and in our child’s life.

p. 67  “Our story is what we have to offer the world.”