have a cup of tea and let's talk why i write in lowercase
my dad and my writer friends wonder why. my kids correct me when i sign their field trip forms. i've been writing in lowercase for years. for two reasons, but one reason that just makes me...me. and i'm learning to be more me than ever before.
reason one.
He must increase i must decrease.
what do you see?
the only words that i write in uppercase are the ones that pertain to God. you figured it out, eh? i love how it looks. everything lower and His Name higher. it's that simple.
then i read what jeff goins and michael hyatt say about voice and i have locked in to this being the way i use my writing voice. taking what makes me me and letting it speak to you.
reason two.
to use my writing voice to exalt Him.
they are one in the same, these reasons, aren't they? yet one is using my voice creatively and the other is magnifying the Creator.
when we can't be in each other's presence for me to hear joy and struggle in your voice and i share the same vulnerabilities, i use this writing voice to convey that He is everything and He is where we look. we look up. to gaze upon Him and only glance at our circumstances. to fix our eyes on Jesus rather than being fixated on the temporary.
i want the words of my mouth and the mediations of my heart to be pleasing to God. i want you to hear that when we are together, but more often than not, we're here on this blog and you read my writing voice. and the same is true here as if we are enjoying that cup of tea. i want my voice to lift Him up so that is what you hear the most.
what is uniquely you that others can clearly hear you say? if you're not sure, ask a close friend. have them tell you what makes you uniquely you.
i tell my friend lindsey that she champions and cheers people on in such personal ways they feel like they can soar after being with her.
ben remembers names. and lots of them. it is such a gift to others when he calls them by name. they are immediately at home with him.
i remember a college friend named amy who would tell me that i was beautiful as i would pass her in dorm 27. almost too much so that i didn't believe her. but that has stuck for years. she used her voice to compliment others.
when we were doing youth ministry in louisiana, a sweet girl named laura would call out the good in strangers. i was shocked to hear such a young voice speak powerfully to her seniors and people of minority in the community.
your voice matters. what you write on facebook and in text messages. what you write in blogposts and in books. what you speak to your children and co-workers and community. may our voices speak life today.