My Heart Needs a Voice
When I look at this photograph, I see a winding road. I cannot see everything beyond the bend, but the light is right there, illuminating the path before me.
And still, my mind asks: Where does the road go?
That question brought a teaching to my heart. How often do I become so focused on where I am going that I overlook what is being shown to me right where I am?
I want to know how things will turn out. I think through the possibilities, question my choices, and try to figure out what comes next. But I can analyze something to death and still walk down another path.
Understanding something does not always mean I am ready to choose differently.
Sometimes I become so focused on what I want that I forget to listen for what Kitchi Manitou may have prepared for me before I was born. I hold tightly to my plans, even while praying for guidance. Can I make room for an answer that unfolds differently than I hoped?
Walking around locked in my mind; I sometimes forget to let my heart speak.
My heart needs a voice.
It needs room to express grief, longing, love, and hope. It needs time in prayer and silence, where I can be honest about what I am carrying and what I am trying so hard to control.
My mind has a place in this journey. Thinking carefully helps me consider my steps. But when every quiet moment becomes another round of questioning, I need to pause and ask: Have I given my heart room in this decision? Have I listened, or have I only searched for the answer I wanted?
This photograph reminds me that I do not have to see the whole road to notice the light on it.
I can pay attention to what is before me. I can take time to pray, listen, and consider my next step. I can remain open to a path I did not expect.
And perhaps this is something we can offer ourselves: space for our hearts to speak, without demanding that they explain the whole journey.
There may be teachings around the bend that I am not ready to understand yet. Today, there is something here for me to see.
Kitchi Manitou, help me quiet my thoughts enough to listen. Help me recognize the light You place before me. Give me courage to walk with an honest heart, even when I cannot see the whole journey.
My heart needs a voice. I am learning to listen.
— Waubshki Migisi
from the heart of Loon + Sturgeon 🪶
