Whispers

It's a whisper, not a shout.   As the young mind develops, his beliefs align with what is right in front of him.  He believes what his parent or guardian tells him, because he hasn't been exposed to other ideas and accepts what the apparent all-knowing adult tells him.  Unfortunately, as in Emily's case in Pages in the Wind, her belief system is flawed and harmful to her self esteem.  As she develops, and is exposed to other people, her belief system is challenged.  It is confusing, but in that confusion there is an opening.  It is in the form of a whisper, something said that is in direct opposition to what she has been taught to believe, and an important seed is planted.  After a simple game at the park, her friend Reid makes a casual comment about her father, which calls into question what she has believed for ten years.

I walked slowly up the stairs to my front porch, pretending to go inside so I could watch Reid when he turned around.  Somehow I thought that I could figure out what he meant by watching him walk home.  My mind was as cloudy as the June gloom of morning, but I wanted to understand what he meant.  Something was said that was significant but I didn’t know what it was.  Reid opened a door that had never been opened in my mind.  I wasn’t sure what door it was, but as I opened the door to my house I knew that it was important and held an element of truth that I had never dared think about.

Whispers that challenge flawed thinking or beliefs can be life-changing, especially if the whisper comes early.  Of course, in the case of extreme abuse, we wish that we could elevate the whisper to a shout.  Still, if a whisper can open a closed door ever so slightly - it can let in the light.  In the light, there is hope.  For Emily, the hope is that the whisper will provide enough light to challenge years of flawed thinking and a damaged self image.

I wonder, have you ever listened to a whisper that made a difference in your life?