The Quiet Few

Whenever I watch American Idol auditions, I wonder at least a few times, "Who are the people telling these people that they should go on national television and sing?"

I guess I get it. We're a society that urges people to chase dreams, and no one really wants to be the person who dashes anyone's hopes. But, I value honesty. And sometimes we have to be willing to recognize that maybe (just maybe), we're not quite as good at something as we hope we might be.

I've been wondering it a lot myself, lately.
I see a bazillion blogs and articles get posted and I think, "Dang... she can write. Why am I even trying?" I feel like an American Idol contestant who only dreams of that golden ticket that's gonna take me to Hollywood (which, in reality, still doesn't mean much of anything).

Most days I want to quit.
Most days I think I should.
Most days I don't even know why I started.

And then there are the quiet few. The quiet few that urge me to keep going. Sometimes I tune their voice out, believing quite fervently that they are the ones pushing me to audition for the sake of a few laughs on national television that are forgotten as soon the scene changes. But, oftentimes I listen.

They're the whispers that gently say, "Keep going. This matters. This affects me. It challenges me. It makes me feel like I'm not alone. Your voice matters. You remind me of truth, even when I don't always want to hear it."

The Quiet Few.

They aren't always the same voices, either.
And so I keep going, recognizing that the end to all this madness doesn't have to be fame or fortune. It doesn't have to be wild success of Pulitzers and popularity.

Perhaps it's just one or two.
Perhaps those American Idol contestants embarrass themselves on national television but they bless a few in their most inner circles. Perhaps it's their babies, as they sweetly sing them to sleep at night. Maybe a local congregation of church-goers (who might be mostly deaf, but eager to see a young face passionate about using their voice for the Lord). Maybe family members on important family occasions.

Maybe the Quiet Few.

Too often we give up on our dreams because we aren't good enough. There's always going to be someone better than us, more talented, more successful.... people are going to want others more than us. There's always an excuse to give up (unless on the rare occasion that you're a prodigy).

But what if we shifted our dreams.
What if it wasn't about numbers of people, what if it wasn't about our own worldly success? What if it was simply about doing something that mattered? And what if it only matters to a few, but it still matters? Or what if it was about who we'll meet along the journey of pursuing our passions and the impact we might have on them?

I'm probably never going to "make it" as a writer.
I imagine I'll keep writing though.
(For those of you who wonder why, you can thank all of those people who keep telling me to.)

Because I've decided, even if it's just a few, it's worth it.
Even if exposing my life to the world wide web does good for one or two, I'll keep going. Even if trying to eventually write a book falls short of actual publishing and only makes it into the hands of my inner circle of support through self-publishing... I'll do it.

It's part of pressing on, pushing through, believing that the passions I have matter and when I'm directing them toward the One who matters, I can't really go wrong.

There are always going to be better writers, better singers, better musicians, better comedians, better speakers, better entrepreneurs, better artists, better photographers, better chefs, better doctors, better bosses, better athletes, etc. etc. (you get the idea....and most of the time, 'better' is subjective, anyway). But it doesn't mean that we should quit. It doesn't mean that we should give up. It doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

Maybe we need to start listening to The Quiet Few in our life who remind us that what we're doing matters, and maybe we need to dive deeper in. And maybe I'm not quite as good as I wish I were, and maybe I'll never be... but maybe that's okay. Maybe it's not about fame and fortune, and maybe impacting only one or two for good can matter, too.

Maybe...
I guess we each get to decide for ourselves.

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