Find Your Voice

She opens her mouth, and immediately the atmosphere in the room shifts.  Eyes shift and glaze over, girls glance at each other, phones are pulled out, and someone even starts adjusting the sleeve of their shirt.  She glances around the circle of her small group, hoping for some support, from someone, anyone.  But all eyes are elsewhere, and she sighs, mumbles "Never mind," and shuts down, burying her thoughts inside of her with more fuel to the lie that says "No one cares.  You aren't worth being friends with.  No one listens to you, no matter what you say.  You're too different and awkward for anyone to like you."
Sound familiar?  Maybe not as brutal, but I think we've all been ignored by the people who should be the ones most likely to listen.  Maybe this is your family, friends, or people at your church.  Either way, they are drowning, cutting off, or ignoring your voice.  You have priceless information to share with the rest of the world.  So find an outlet.  Are you good at writing? Start a blog, and share the address with your friends.  How about music?  Teach them songs from your country in the dialect!  Or maybe you like making movies?  Make a movie highlighting what your passionate about!
People will still ignore you, because, let's face it, most teenagers from the US have nowhere to store any information we tell them.  (Including that humorous story about how you caught a ride to a youth retreat with a farmer taking his goats to market.  Or the one where your buddy was given a toothpaste-Oreo after living overseas for three years and thinking it was just as good as a normal one)   They have no hook to hang the information on, so they disregard it.  There are ways to work around that, it is just time-consuming, and it'll take some effort.
Also, check with your parents and leaders at church.  They may have some ideas for sharing your experiences.  Maybe you could have a night to just share stories with other kids.  (Offer food.  You'd be surprised how many people come because of food.  😉)  Or ask them to pray for one person that you can share your story with.  Just one.  Because we all want to be heard.  And when just one person listens, it means a lot.  That person won't change everyone, but it helps the situation a lot.  One person sharing your interests, listening to you talk about how much you miss your friends, laughing at your corny jokes, goofing off with you, and giving you that silent support next time you open your mouth makes all the difference.
So, what to do now?  Pray.  Pray you get that one person, pray for ideas on how to get your message across, pray for courage and determination to carry it through.

News flash: None of this is easy!  It is really hard and discouraging!  

But I promise it's worth it.  It really is.  In the meantime, I'm here.  I'm willing to try and give you suggestions, pray for you, and be that silent support.  'Cause knowing there's a person behind you, supporting you, is wonderful.

-Ali