Speak up; I can't hear you!
I recently traveled to my hometown in Ohio for my grandmother’s 70th birthday. On the day of the party for her, I started to head out the door, but ran back inside to change my clothes. Not because I wanted to dress up for the event, but because I was wearing a t-shirt with the words “No War” in letters four inches tall.
What’s so bad about that? I personally cannot support war. We see daily evidence that our military actions in Iraq are not creating a stable, sustainable environment, either in Iraq or in the United States. Escalating violence since the American invasion of Iraq has led to astronomical numbers of casualties: more than 3,800 U.S. soldiers have died, and estimates of the number of Iraqi dead range as high as 655,000.
Given these and the multitudes of other reasons why I oppose war, why did I choose to not wear a shirt that advocates peace? The answer is simple, and it is shameful: I didn’t want to deal with my family’s reaction. They view my allegiance to peace as an act of sedition; in their minds, I am being disloyal to the troops and to my country. I don’t buy a word of what they would say (and have said), but I just didn’t want to hear it. I believe in my views, and I want to stand by them, but I was afraid to be the only voice standing alone against a barrage of incriminations.
How many times are we silent when we shouldn’t be? How often do we keep still when we are called to action, to care for others, to do what we can to help another?
When God called Moses to speak up for the enslaved Israelites, to demand that they be released from their bondage, Moses replied, “I have never been eloquent… I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." God, in response, told Moses to go forward and trust that the words would come.
As we search for the words we know we must speak, we should remember the words God told Moses: “Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak."
What’s so bad about that? I personally cannot support war. We see daily evidence that our military actions in Iraq are not creating a stable, sustainable environment, either in Iraq or in the United States. Escalating violence since the American invasion of Iraq has led to astronomical numbers of casualties: more than 3,800 U.S. soldiers have died, and estimates of the number of Iraqi dead range as high as 655,000.
Given these and the multitudes of other reasons why I oppose war, why did I choose to not wear a shirt that advocates peace? The answer is simple, and it is shameful: I didn’t want to deal with my family’s reaction. They view my allegiance to peace as an act of sedition; in their minds, I am being disloyal to the troops and to my country. I don’t buy a word of what they would say (and have said), but I just didn’t want to hear it. I believe in my views, and I want to stand by them, but I was afraid to be the only voice standing alone against a barrage of incriminations.
How many times are we silent when we shouldn’t be? How often do we keep still when we are called to action, to care for others, to do what we can to help another?
When God called Moses to speak up for the enslaved Israelites, to demand that they be released from their bondage, Moses replied, “I have never been eloquent… I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." God, in response, told Moses to go forward and trust that the words would come.
As we search for the words we know we must speak, we should remember the words God told Moses: “Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak."
How do we know when God is in our speech (and when I say "speech", of course I also mean writing ;-) )?
How do we know when it actually is more beneficial to be silent--whether beneficial in the sense that there is some greater purpose that it serves, or in the sense that justice may be served better in the long-term by better (and later) timing for speaking out?
Sometimes I have so much anger about an injustice that I have trouble communicating constructively. Do I need to learn to get out of the way to let God speak? How does that work, practically speaking?
How do we speak in love when we're pissed the hell off? Or am I looking at this the wrong way? (Comment this)