The Sound of Silence

A friend once was listening to a conversation.  Her friends were talking about someone, so she listened, but she did not agree.  However, she didn't speak up either.  In the end, she walked away with something just nagging at her on the inside. 

Have you ever been in a situation like this?  For some reason, you know something is wrong, but you are not sure what to do about it.  Maybe you are non-confrontational and don't want to start an argument.  Maybe you are afraid of rejection or afraid of repercussions.  There are many reasons why we sometimes do not speak up.

There is a feeling I get when I am quiet and don't want to be.  When the conversation stops, sometimes, there is something lingering in the air in the silence after a statement is said or an action is taken.  People say and do things sometimes that just are not right and sometimes our inner alarm goes off and we do nothing about it. 

Do you know that in politics, there is a way to be silent that is a little more formal?  When a highly political bill comes up for vote, the congressman really has one extra choice.  Besides "yes" or "no", he can vote "present". 

Basically a "present" vote means that he showed up that day, but chose not to vote.  In a way, it's the same as being silent.  Some politicians will vote "present" when they are worried about their careers or don't know enough about a bill to have an opinion.  There are other reasons, but really, a "present" vote is one of silence.

We've come to a time and place in our country where we as the Church have voted "present" on many issues.  It is time to break the awkward silence. 

Sometimes, we can respectfully disagree with an opinion.  Other times however, taking a stand for Christ and the people He cares about means not being popular.  It means that people may ridicule or hate you.  It means that we stand against behaviors and opinions that are not compatible with our faith in God.  And for too long, we have remained silent when we should have spoken.

My prayer is that we choose no longer to vote "present" when dealing with the hard issues.  My hope is that we express a Christian worldview in a respectful and dignified way.  We should all pray that God gives us the courage to stand when the time comes.  In this, silence is replaced with truth.