Can I Tell You a Story?

Can I tell you a story? One blessing of growing up in a small African American church is that I learned the importance of testimonies. After accepting Christ during Sunday school, I was taught that every Christian has a story to tell. Psalm 107:2a says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story.” This story begins just before my first powerlifting competition in 2021. Every person I trained with believed they had the answer to how I could squat better. One person told me to bounce harder, one told me to put my feet farther apart, and another said I needed to move faster. Their suggestions and critiques left me stressed out, confused, and discouraged. I couldn’t follow all of their suggestions at once, and I walked out of the gym in tears and wanted to give up. But I couldn’t quit because that would make me look bad. And I couldn’t handle that either.

The heaviest weight

Their voices, blended with massive doses of self-criticism, were a heavier weight than I could handle. I had to tune them out and focus on the one voice that mattered. Having one pair of eyes to watch me and one voice to give me feedback was important. So I had to speak up, ask my trainer for help, and declare to my teammates that I couldn’t listen to their feedback. 

Our spiritual growth comes in letting the minor voices fade away and listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We need One voice in our heads and hearts to live in the fullness that Christ was born to bring us. We read the Bible and meditate on God’s words to make wise choices, mature, and grow. One voice. Not the roar of the crowd or the critical whispers of our hearts. One Voice. And His voice is the only one that matters.