held true to

[keannu]

Does "held true to the inner voice" mean "following my inner voice"? And what's "shotgun blast"? It's a metaphor, but does it mean like "shotgun explosion" or "shotgun's loud noise"?

ex)I was wiping off my car, waiting for my wife in front of her office, when I spotted a man approaching me. At first glance, he looked like a bum. I hoped he would not ask me for any money. He didn't. But after a few minutes he said, "That's a very pretty car."
I said "Thanks," and continued wiping off my car. He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected begging never came. As the silence between us widened, something inside me said, "Ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say, "Yes" but I held true to the inner voice. "Do you need any help?" I asked.
He answered in three simple but profound words. "Don't we all?" I was feeling high and important, more than a beggar, until those three words hit me like a shotgun blast. Maybe not for meals or shelters, but still I needed help.

[spongie]

held true to the inner voice - yes, follow the inner voice, do what it tells you.

shotgun blast - I would say it can mean both shotgun explosion and loud voice that shotgun makes when it is used; they are somehow connected with each other.

[SoothingDave]

Like you were shot with the shotgun. A shotgun blasts a very big hole into a target.