Lifting My Voice
My days in Vienna as a young adult taught me many things—but most of all, they taught me to use my voice. In this season, God is reminding me once again to steward the gifts He’s placed in my hands.
I wrote these words early this month, shortly before we flew on a family holiday to Cyprus, Italy, and France.
I’ve been daydreaming of returning to Europe for sixteen years. My first step into adulthood was in Vienna, the beautiful capital city of Austria—a diverse, multicultural city. Knowing I was called to be a missionary, I intentionally chose a place where I could experience firsthand what other cultures were like. During my two years living there, I had the opportunity to share life with people from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
Some of my best memories are the days we spent together as a group of volunteer students on the mountain of Gutenstein. My church, Vienna Christian Center, owned an old guest house that they transformed into a retreat center on top of the mountain. The mountain itself had a monastery, and many people came on pilgrimage, walking the beautiful trails carved into the mountainside.
One day, my roommate,Maggie and I went on a very long walk down the mountain into a valley with a glorious meadow. Another day ,my friend Audrey and I overlooked the mountains from a lookout point. I lalso oved walking the trails mby yself and felt like I met with God each time. AAlthough I enjoyed living in the city, I often found it difficult to connect with the Lord surrounded by buildings. Having grown up in the country, I discovered I connected with Jesus most deeply in nature.
Serving in that retreat center was so life-giving. We were able to serve hundreds of pastors and leaders from Eastern Europe who just wanted to seek Jesus and eat more ‘brown bread’. We sledded down the hill after a snowstorm with friends and my cousins Jillian and Graham who came to visit. Those days on the mountain were a gift—full of laughter, friendship, and God’s presence.
One time we were there for a young adults retreat. I could feel God was leading me to sing out during worship. I told the Lord no. I said, “I don’t sing…” For some reason, for several years I had stopped singing altogether. I mouthed all the words from the front row of my home church during my high school years, afraid of what others would say about my voice. (Once very fond of singing, I had been asked to be quiet one too many times—maybe because I loved to sing loudly…)
I was standing there in the meeting room, and God reminded me how I had prayed many times for Him to use my hands, my feet, my everything to praise Him. He said, “What about your voice?”
Later that night, in the dark, we climbed up to a rock ledge and were all looking out in awe. The Lord again was leading me to sing out. Terrified, I lifted my voice to the heavens and began to sing.
It was the start of using my voice again to praise the Lord.
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Luke 19:40
Too often, we hold back the gifts God has given us. Afraid they aren’t as good as the person standing in front of us, we keep our “treasures” to ourselves and compare them to the treasures another holds.
Today, I encourage you: break free from comparison. Break free from worry.
Praise God with everything you have!
Let your hands create new things or to cook food for the hungry,
Let your feet walk into rooms you once felt you had no place in,
Let your intellect be used to educate a generation being guided by misinformation,
And yes, use your voice to praise the One who gave it all!
With love,
Bringing hope to the borderline,
Kelly
Next email I'll share photos and stories from our trip to Europe!
