Great Scot April 2019 Great Scot_156_April_2019_Online | Page 13

Jesus says, 'Be opened,' and the man hears and
immediately finds his voice.
their voice is nevertheless a special undertaking. The
Bible insists we are all created for a purpose, each of us
with a set of unique gifts, experiences and perspectives
that are essential for the building up of one another.
If you help individuals find their voice you are helping
everyone with a little more clarity on reality. Yet, as we
see in Jesus’ miracle, there is another precious aspect
of helping people find their voice – the relationship
through the process.
To experience an empathetic approach of someone
prepared to use all the resources at his or her disposal
to help you is empowering. But a sympathetic person
gives you more. In the 12th chapter of the epistle to
the Romans, the Apostle Paul writes on the practical
application of love in a community. In one section he
explains it is as unassuming as rejoicing with those
who rejoice and mourning with those who mourn. It
is not so much the outcome as the support you give
along the way that makes it a real expression
of love.
The implications for us at Scotch are important to
consider. Our motivation for helping boys find their
voice should not be for our own sense of achievement
or significance. We should be incensed by the
obstacles preventing boys from having a voice, because
we care for them. Their voice needs to be heard in
the great adjustment of perceptions on how things
are and should be. However, to be really heard is to
be understood for who they really are. It shouldn’t be
their ideas that we might rally behind as much as the
person himself, lest we think the only value of a boy is
his capacity to come up with ideas we wish to support.
www.scotch.vic.edu.au Great Scot
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