The Sunday Sermonette – Glossophobia.
What do you recall about seventh grade? I have never forgotten attending Gulfport’s Bayou View Junior High School in 1965. As a shy and withdrawn student, I envied the football players, the cheerleaders, the rich kids, and the popular kids. I also navigated the hallways with fear and trembling because of them—nerdy kids always catch hell.
However, my greatest fear was Mrs. Carson, my English teacher. This fear did not stem from any unkindness on her part, but rather from her unwavering adherence to strict classroom rules. Obedience ensured that you would live happily ever after, while disobedience resulted in a trip to the principal’s office, where the so-called “Board of Education” awaited.
In those days, I was gripped by glossophobia, the paralyzing fear of speaking in public. Glossophobic individuals will do almost anything to avoid speeches, presentations, or the stage. The mere thought of standing before a crowd sent my heart pounding and my hands shaking. My mouth went desert-dry, and my stomach did backflips.
When Mrs. Carson fixed her steely gaze on me and announced, “Andy, it’s your turn. Take your place in front of the class,” my insides turned to ice. Even now, the words “The Gettysburg Address” give me goosebumps. But that day, I attempted to put aside my glossophobia, gird up my loins, as the Good Book says, and stood before my classmates to recite the famous address. Their eyes bore into me—some mocking, some amused, a precious few encouraging.
Still, I knew it was best not to lean on my strength, but to rely on Father God. I delivered Lincoln’s address with all the adolescent energy and amateurish theatrics I could muster and survived! When the bell finally rang, Mrs. Carson dismissed us, and we stampeded into the hallway, hungry for lunch and freedom.
At lunch, I sat alone at a back table, bracing myself for everyone’s usual teasing. To my surprise, a popular girl in my class, who had often caused me grief, came over to my table—not to mock, but to praise. She told me I had outshone everyone else in the class. She even said my delivery inspired her to aim higher when her turn came. I thanked her, grateful that, in my own nerdy, awkward way, God had used me to help her improve her upcoming recitation.
Do you recall the symptoms of glossophobia previously mentioned? According to the Holy Scriptures, Moses experienced them, too. He expressed his concerns to God when asked to serve as a spokesperson for the Israelites before Pharaoh: “But God, your people will not listen to me or believe anything I say,” he pleaded. “I’m slow to speech, and a slow tongue.” Similarly, many Christians offer excuses when called upon by God, saying, “Father God, I can’t…I’ve never…I’m scared…”
When we, as Christians, lean on our own strength, challenges—illness, job stress, family problems, or standing up to a world gone mad—drag us down and seem impossible to overcome. But when God calls us to act on those challenges, and we trust Him, He gives us the courage we need, walking with us every step of the way.
Years ago, a nerdy seventh-grader recited “The Gettysburg Address,” inspiring another classmate to improve her recitation. With Father God’s help centuries ago, Moses overcame his glossophobia, stood before the mighty Pharaoh, and said, “Let my people go!” And Pharaoh did. And Moses led God’s chosen people out of backbreaking slavery into the Promised Land.
This week, please ask God to help you overcome your glossophobia. So that your words or actions might help lift others up, freeing them from the slavery of doubt and fear, giving them the resolve to keep moving forward. But of greatest eternal importance, your words or actions may lead them to a closer walk with Father God and to His salvation that comes only through His son, Jesus Christ.
Ponder this and go forth.