Imagine you're in a room with uncomfortable folding chairs arranged in a circle and with the smell of stale coffee lingering in the air. You've just walked in and you feel horribly out of place, but then you remember quickly that you're no better than the people sitting in the uncomfortable folding chairs or drinking the stale coffee. You're just like them. Hurting. Searching. Tired of trying to cover up the truth of who you really are. Reluctantly, you take the cap off of a marker lying at the end of the table and write your name on a name tag and then stick it onto your jacket. You take a seat in the circle. You wish the name tag would suffice as an introduction of yourself to the group, but you know the time is coming for you to stand up and vocally introduce yourself. And admit to who you really are...
"Hello. My name is Stacy. I struggle with depression. I am a burner. I feel hopeless and worthless. I have given into the lies that fill my head and I just want the screaming to stop."
There. You did it. You made the introduction and you put words to what was really going on. You admitted to who you really were...
My name is Stacy M. and I started TheLoudWhisper several years ago after I found true hope. I grew up in church and was saved at an early age. However, there came a time when everything I had been taught became challenged and I had a hard time differentiating between Truth and Lie. I never went to a meeting like in the story above, but there were many times I wished I could walk into that uncomfortable room and drop the veil that I had been hiding behind. I finally realized though, in a breakthrough way, that I could drop my veil at the foot of the cross. I could come to the Lord just as I was. It didn't have to matter what church would think of me. It didn't have to matter what would be said about it later. I could have a moment with God where he would meet me in the midst of my pain and confusion and bring peace and clarity. That's exactly what happened. Not only did He meet me in that moment, but He has continued to meet me day in and day out, through every one of my struggles. After the veil was dropped, I found that many people were coming to me and saying they were struggling with the same things. They were feeling the same despair. Whether they realized it or not, the minute they gave a voice to what was going on inside of them, they too were dropping their veils.
Why did I decide to pair this message with a jewelry business? Well, it's as simple as this is something I feel that I can do well so I want to use my talent for a solid cause. If I wasn't doing this, I probably wouldn't be sharing my story. If I wasn't doing this, I probably wouldn't be donating my own money to organizations that are investing into treatment and recovery. Whatever the reason, I hope I can encourage you. I hope I can make you feel lovely and cherished when you wear or receive some of this jewelry- knowing it's been down its own unique road too. I hope I can be your room with uncomfortable folding chairs and stale coffee where you will come in and share your story. I hope I can urge you to be that for someone who you know is struggling with similar issues.
This is but a whisper of something much much louder...
