Silence is...

June 20, 2020

“Silence is violence!” So say the activists swarming like bees around the latest perceived injustice. Don’t believe it! Just because someone says it doesn’t make it so. In my preaching, I  used to tell people to be wary about anyone who tried to tell them who they are. Only God has the right to do that. The crowd around us is not the best source of information about much of anything, especially when it comes to knowing one’s own identity. People will tell you you’re too thin, too fat, not manly enough, too much of a tomboy, stuck up, shy...the list goes on and on. We are being told these days that lacking overt words and actions, we may nevertheless be unconsciously racist. People other than ourselves are defining what it means, and are passing judgment upon anyone who doesn’t sufficiently meet their definitions. It matters not that evidence is lacking. It matters not that no one has ever proven the existence of the unconscious mind, let alone that merely belonging to a particular demographic tells others everything they need to know about you.

It is not my responsibility to take up anyone else’s cause, no matter how noble it may be. It is my responsibility to answer God’s call on my life, just as it is for you to answer God’s call on yours. God has called me to some pretty clear cut responsibilities, none of which involve criticizing or correcting others. If I fail to fulfill my calling, there will be a hole in the fabric of God’s plan, and I will be ineffective by reason of distraction. Others are called to be social justice warriors. I am not. I am called to gratitude, to prayer, to family. I will not apologize for any of this, any more than I would expect someone else to apologize for living into their calling. My only apology would be to God for failing to fully live out his calling in my life.

Had Jesus not given himself solely to the Father’s purposes, we would not be saved today. We would still be in our sins. He was often tempted to take a different path, but he remained true to his own mission. So must I. I’ve too often allowed other people’s passions to lure me away from my calling, which always leads to confusion and unhappiness. I am thankful tonight that I can pursue God’s calling on my life without guilt or fear, but with great joy and freedom. Silence is not violence. Silence is silence, and sometimes, it is still golden.