Skip to Main Content
Women of the ELCA
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Tools For Leaders
  • Publications
  • Daily Grace
  • Contact
  • Ministry & Action
    • Discipleship
    • Justice
      • Human Trafficking
      • Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
      • Racial Justice Advocacy
      • Racial Justice Advocacy Network resources
      • Domestic Violence
    • Membership
    • Stewardship
      • Thankofferings
      • Faithful Friends
      • Katie’s Fund
      • Gift Planning
    • Special Initiatives
      • Rachel’s Day
      • Raising Up Healthy Women & Girls
    • Scholarships
      • Lutheran laywomen
      • Lutheran Ordained Ministry
  • Resources
  • About
    • History
    • Executive Board
    • Staff
    • Get Involved
  • Events
  • Belong
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Tools For Leaders
  • Publications
  • Daily Grace
  • Contact
« Back to All Daily Grace

How do you use your voice?

6.14.2023
|
Daily Grace

Looking back as I prepare to enter a new decade of my life, I am proud of some of the ways I have used my voice: to sing, praise, pray, affirm, encourage, support, and advocate for others. I am also ashamed of the ways I have used my voice: sarcasm, spoken impulsively, interrupted, gossiped, whined, sulked in silence, ridiculed, demeaned, blamed, and attempted to manipulate others.

Scripture mirrors this humanness, this destructive and positive use of our voices. Abraham lies or directs Sarah to lie in order to save his own skin (Genesis 12:11-13, 20:2). Jacob lies to cheat his brother, Esau, out of Isaac’s blessing (Genesis 27). Abraham dares to speak to God on behalf of the righteous (Genesis 18:16-33).

In Peace is Every Step, spiritual teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, invites us to use our voices in order to understand one another. We might ask our partner or our child, “Do I understand you well enough?” and invite them to teach us: “Help me understand you better.” When we truly understand, we cannot help but love.

This message is excerpted from “Tuning our voices together” by Bev Stratton in the June 2019 Gather magazine. Today is Flag Day. Today we commemorate Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea, 379; Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, c. 385; Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople, c. 389; and Macrina, teacher, c. 379.


Register before June 15 for the Just Love Gathering (in-person or online) and get the discounted early bird registration fee. Already registered? New info is being added to the website regularly, so stop by every week to see what’s been added.

Special note: The Daily Grace app will soon be retired. To avoid interruption, those who read Daily Grace in the app are encouraged to subscribe to receive Daily Grace via email.

Share this post

Sign up for Daily Grace

Daily Grace is an on-the-go companion for your journey, offering a faith reflection every day. Encounter God’s extravagant, boundless and often surprising grace by signing up for a daily email message.

Back to home

8765 W. Higgins Rd.

Chicago IL 60631

800-638-3522

[email protected]

Stay In Touch

Sign up for the WELCA Newsletter

Explore WELCA
  • Ministry & Action
  • Daily Grace
  • Resource Library
  • Events
  • Blog
  • News
  • About WELCA
  • Tools For Leaders
  • Publications
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Photos
Explore Publications

Bold Cafe

A Lutheran perspective for women of Christian faith or any woman who is interested in how faith relates to the issues facing women today.

Gather Magazine

A mix of articles, theological reflections, devotions and stories of comfort and challenge that help readers grow in faith.

Cafe Podcast

Subscribe to our podcast:

Click to subscribe

© Copyright 2025 Women of the ELCA. All Rights Reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
© Copyright 2025 Women of the ELCA. All Rights Reserved.