Gracious God,
We are not supposed to talk about hearing voices in our head. That’s how rumors get started. But there’s a voice, a familiar stranger, that we can’t seem to turn down or turn off. One that says we’re a mess, a mistake, a fool, a fraud.
That voice says
everyone else has it together
everyone else’s children are well-behaved
everyone else has no trouble following the rules
everyone else has three months of living expenses put back.
That voice makes it hard to hear You.
So we convince ourselves that it’s better to keep our head down.
Don’t rock the boat.
Try to shrink ourselves to fit expectations.
Make ourselves small.
But the psalmist says that we are
Fearfully and wonderfully made.
Of stars and dust, our stories say.
Stars and dust.
Help us remind each other of that every chance we get.
Maybe this is how we better hear You.
Amen.