Hello all. I hope this finds you well. By well, I mean spiritually healthy. It is funny to think about the fact that I could mean so many things by well. I could mean, your bills are paid. I could mean you are healthy physically. There are so many things that go on in our lives and be determined as well or unwell. The average English word apparently has at least 3 meanings. The word “set” has 430 meanings. If I were to ask you, “did you win the set?”, would you know what I am talking about? You would only know by asking questions. The average person can speak 125-175 words per minute. Amazingly, the average person can listen to 450 words per minute. Our ability to understand depends on our ability to listen. More than our ability… our desire. If we don’t have a desire to listen to others. There is no way that we are ever going to understand them.

            I have this deep desire, like most women, to be heard when I speak. When we speak to our spouse, we want them to hear us. When we correct our children, we want them to obey. When we share the Gospel, we want the hearer to believe. If there is one thing that I understand, it is not being heard.

I grew up in a house that had little want for the voice of a child. I remember my big brother sitting timidly next to our stepfather at the dinner table. We all knew if my brother made one wrong move he would be hit hard enough to be knocked out of his chair. Our stepfather worked nights and all four of us children knew that if we woke him, we would surely be whopped with his cowboy belt, that was intricately engraved with his name. When I joined the Army at 17, I spoke up all the time. I usually landed myself in some type of trouble for speaking my mind. Afterall, the Army could not break me down any further than my childhood. Someone yelling in my face was nothing. I guess I am a glutton for punishment.

I had to fight to be heard in the Army for a long time. It was not until I became a Non-Commission Officer that I was actually heard. Then I got moved to an all-male company. The fight was back on. It was not until after our first fire fight in Kadhimiya, Iraq that I no longer had to fight to be heard. I had gained the respect of the men. I had been with them for a short time. We were doing a standard escort mission. As soon as we went under a bridge one of my best friends started running back towards us and just barely got out of the way of an RPG that flew past us. We immediately followed the commands of our platoon sergeant and moved our individual squads into position. I took my squad to keep overwatch on one side of the bridge that we were receiving fire from, while the other squad leaders moved to their positions. We were under attack for a while. I saw a small fire under one of the trucks that we were escorting. I was worried because the day prior to this, we had to sweep the remains of a fellow Soldier out of a truck that burnt down. I explained to my squad that I needed them to cover me while I moved to the truck on foot. They were to maintain their position. One Soldier started to tell me that I should stay in the truck. I quickly had to inform him to shut up and follow orders. Believe that I was yelling over the gunfire and I did not say it in the nicest way. When I made it to the truck that was on fire… I quickly found out it was a small fire the civilians had made to keep warm while we handled the enemy for them. I put out the fire that was drawing attention to them and made my way back to my guys. As soon as I got there, I received a call from the platoon Sergeant that he needed me to call for fire. This the nice way of saying we were going to call for air support to drop a bomb on the building that we were receiving gunfire from. I began to wonder if the mic was working. The air support network had gone down in our truck. I had to make the call across the entire battalion network. There was a chance of up to 900 people hearing me call for fire. I was incredibly nervous and didn’t feel like I should be the one doing this. I immediately felt inferior. Then I told myself that my voice was needed more now than it had ever been needed. I had to speak up to help the lives of the 12 guys, 1 medic, and 5 civilians. I couldn’t sound weak because there were already too many who didn’t believe I should be serving with the infantry company to begin with. I mustered the guts and began my transmission.  I had one person try to interrupt me. I quickly told them to shut up and wait( I added some explicit words). At the time I didn’t know it was the Operations Sergeant Major. Our air support Arch Angel was unable to come due to air status being Red (too dangerous). So, we just continued the fight until the enemy gave up and ran away. Believe that those of us still alive, are alive because of the heroic actions of SSG Snapp and the squad leaders on the ground. When we returned to the small forward operating base, the Sergeant Major paid me a visit. He informed me that when things are important, always speak up. Fight to be heard. Then he had me do 50 push ups for cursing on the battalion network. My men never questioned me again. My words had weight in them.

I got to wondering about women in the Word who spoke up anyway. Women who spoke up when it was necessary. The women who stick out to me the most are Ruth, Deborah, and Esther.

Ruth spoke up to Naomi. Naomi had given up. Ruth listened to Naomi list off her woes. Ruth empathized with Naomi. Ruth helped give Naomi reprieve and an absolution to her loneliness. Ruth chapter 1

Deborah was the first and only female judge to reside over the people of Israel. Deborah was the one that was instructing Barak on how to handle the Canaanites. Deborah was the one that reminded Barak that the Lord had commanded him. Barak had doubt, it was Deborah’s voice and support that led him to defeat the enemy. Barak didn’t do this alone. His show of force led Sisera to flee to a woman for shelter. This woman Jael drove a tent peg through his head.  And verse 21 so eloquently says, “So he died” This course of events lead to the Canaanites defeat. Because Deborah spoke up. Judges chapter 4

Esther is one of the most well-known speakers in the word. She got her position in the only way that she could. She got the position of queen through her beauty. Her beauty may have been what got her to her position, but it was her selflessness that led her to risk her life and speak up for the Jews who were set to be killed by her husband’s friend. There is so much weight in her husband choosing her voice over his best friends. Choosing any woman’s voice over a mans was huge already. Lives were saved because Esther spoke up. Esther chapter 7.

You have a voice and your voice matters. Speak up for yourself and speak up for others. You may be met with opposition or you may be heard. Know when to speak up. Know when to stand up. Know when to walk away.

Whether you are a friend, a co-laborer, or a spouse… do you listen? Do you ask questions to clarify? When someone speaks do you listen to understand, or do you listen to respond? Is your response more important than what they are saying? Is your response apples of gold?