Standing In “Silence”
Welcome back to the Solidarity podcast
where we share stories to connect with one another, find comfort in life’s challenges & to celebrate the solidarity that is, being a woman.
Do you ever get angry because it seems like you’re the only person who cares about a cause?
That your friends and family just don’t hear you?
That enough people aren’t doing something about an issue that you know and care a lot about?
Do you feel like you’re just screaming into a void and all that is coming back is silence?
Or at least among your fellow believers?
Let’s talk about this because although I do believe that there is a lot of complacency and inactivity in the church that needs to be addressed, I think there is a misconception about social justice and the way that we expect it to be addressed. I think that there is a lot of assumptions being made and division happening over the issue of silence.
And I want to take a chance to talk about this while there isn’t anything huge actively going on because I think it gives us a chance to reflect without heat and tension and without assuming that this is directed towards any specific cause or issue. I’m sure of course the day this comes out, something will happen, but I’m following God’s lead on this one and putting it out this specific week.
So I pose to you the question, do you think that you can stand in silence?
Earlier this year in Season 1 I did a podcast episode (number 5) called “Justice Only Comes Through Jesus”, it was about Christians and social justice. Which, yikes. Right? Those Christians who are champions for social justice scare me sometimes. They’re amazing people but sometimes the lines between Biblical truth and God’s will for serving people and the world’s agenda for what social justice looks like, gets blurred. My intention with that episode was to provide clarity and some solid truth and remind us that we are focusing too much on our earthly bodies and not enough on our eternal ones and although we can do everything to serve people here, and we absolutely should serve in the ways that God calls us as individuals to do so, justice will only be truly served when Jesus comes back. It cannot be attained on Earth. That is a tough pill to swallow but it is important to remember because when we cut that part out, lines get blurred, truth gets trampled and fear and anxiety can quickly creep in and Satan can take what we are intending for good and turn it very bad, very quickly. We can be left criticizing others, taking on the world from an Earthly perspective and pointing our fingers in judgment and shame rather than loving everyone- marginalized and not.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that we all have to have strong opinions about everything. Social media especially has opened this gateway because in an instant millions can share awareness on a subject and the algorithm can tailor it so that we think that the cause at hand is the most important pressing issue and that if you don’t do “x, y and z” that you don’t care and that you must be *insert derogatory label* and that you are a horrible person and need to do “the work”- which is whatever random set of educational tasks has been set forth that day by that agenda that came from whichever mysterious group of people was setting the standard that day, dividing us all. It’s crazy how we really don’t know where so many things come from and when you actually get a chance to talk to marginalized people, especially those who are believers, how much they typically disagree or have a completely different take on whatever is being pushed. But that’s a whole other path to go down and I’m not walking down that one today. My point is, God puts some things on some of our hearts more than others. Causes, concepts, some things are a bigger deal to some than others and that’s okay. We have to be careful to not let our self righteousness get in the way of the greater good. In our effort to make the world a better place, we ought not to make others feel small and insignificant. We should not make others feel less than or like they’re not doing a good job just because they don’t have strong feelings, opinions or they’re not taking strong, public action on the same things that we care about and pour our time into.
Simply because someone isn’t verbalizing or verbalizing publicly a strong stand with or against something or someone, doesn’t mean they stand with or against. We have to stop assuming. Sometimes it’s okay to be indifferent and sometimes it’s okay to be quiet. We don’t have to have an opinion about everything. We don’t have to know everything about everything. We don’t have to be involved in everything. We don’t have to be (and cannot be) everyone’s savior. It’s easy to put Jesus to the side and say “ya that’s great for eternity but right now I need to save everyone that I can”. Now yes, it’s encouraged that we serve people and love them and give generously and take care of the orphans and widowed and those who God places in our path to take care of. But that’s exactly it- we cannot take care of everyone, we can only personally do what God has specifically called us to do and take care of the people that He has put in our path to take care of.. And that means you, not your neighbor or that person on Facebook who you keep looking over at and waiting for them to follow in your footsteps or to see the work you’re doing. The point is to stop comparing work and to realize that the only thing that matters to God is if you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing. It’s not your responsibility to ridicule, punish, discipline or call out someone who is not doing what you think they should be doing for a few reasons and I’m going to get into them..
You don’t know their journey. God has a specific relationship with that person and He may be calling them to other passions and work and people that maybe you don’t notice because you have different resources and a different life perspective because of your skills and upbringing and personality. That’s the beauty of it all, that’s the beauty of that aspect of diversity that God has given us. God knows better than we do.
You aren’t going to be held accountable for the actions or inaction of those around you. You will only be held accountable for your actions and choices and inaction. Now if God makes it abundantly clear that you’re supposed to have a conversation with someone and the opportunity is given to you and it’s explicit- then by all means say whatever God is having you say. But otherwise, realize that you are not the cruise ship director and you cannot be assigning guilt to those who you have no business assigning guilt to simply because they’re not acting in a way that you deem appropriate.
You have no idea where they’re coming from or what they’re actually doing. Do you realize that prayer is action? Giving is action? Serving in other ways is action? Do you realize that you don’t have to be on the front lines? You don’t have to be at the protest. You don’t have to be vocal on social media about your actions. Just because someone isn’t posting on Instagram their opinions or making their latest donation or community service a Facebook status doesn’t mean they aren’t doing something to contribute to a cause. You don’t know the actions they’re taking in person to have hard conversations, to see and to serve people or to pray for the situation. Prayer is powerful and cannot be discounted simply because it’s not as public and showy as some other things. I think the whole idea that we have to share and raise awareness about things has gotten out of control. It’s good in that different messages get out there but it’s bad in the way that we’ve now gotten accustomed to seeing a million broadcasts a day and if it’s not broadcasted it must not be significant and if it is and you don’t share your stance or take tangible action to show off your stance, it must mean that you don’t care or that you’re on some “opposing” side- which don’t even get me started on that- can change on a dime and that mindset and attitude right there alienates people and can make the overarching problem worse.
If we try to take on every problem and issue, we will quickly find that we are trying to become Jesus and well, He’s already done that. We are broken humans living in a broken world and all we can do is focus on loving people and serving God in how we treat others. Follow His lead. Stop looking over your shoulder to see who’s following you. Stop looking to your left and right to see what your neighbor is doing and stop comparing your actions to someone else’s action. Stop ridiculing and be slow to anger. See beauty in the diversity of your fellow believers and how God chooses to work within each of us. If we were all the same advocating for the same people and the same causes, we’d be leaving gaps. We cannot do it all and we aren’t expected to. Come to be okay with the reality that not everything is going to make sense and when you come across someone who doesn’t seem to care about something that you think they should care about, pray and ask God what to do with the feelings that you’re having. Give people the benefit of the doubt and don’t join in with the hateful messages, rhetoric and statements that isolate and divide us even further. Don’t get so carried away with trying to save the world that you forget who already saved us. Lean into Jesus and allow Him to take any anxiety away that you have. Show up the best you can and love on and serve the people that God has put in your path. Don’t exhaust yourself by trying to raise awareness about everything. God is fighting for us and has the power to be a voice- you don’t have to be everyone’s voice all of the time.
With all of that being said, I want to talk about the power of prayer for a second because I think that we really don’t put enough of an emphasis on how important this is and truly how powerful the action of prayer is. We don’t even think that when someone doesn’t say or do something specifically that they could be possibly be choosing the action of prayer instead. But really that is the first posture we should go to before anything else is done. We should be asking God for wisdom and for direction if we’re supposed to be taking specific steps to serve people.
James 1:5-7 says:
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;”
This means take wisdom and direction from God over some infographic posted on Instagram created to intentionally stir up feelings of division, masked as unity, to keep a cause trending to fuel political agendas. Don’t fall into these traps. Pursue Godly wisdom over earthly advice and you will find that you have much less anxiety over the things you cannot control and fix. Go to God with expectancy that He is going to give you wisdom. Like He said, “go in faith”, “do not doubt”, that He is capable of bringing healing and restoration.
Ask for peace, direction, clear steps and guidance. We should be asking for healing and for eyes and hearts to be opened and for God to come into that space and to heal and bring more people to Him with whatever is going on- to turn evil into something beautiful and good. We should be praying for those people specifically. We shouldn’t be inciting violence, turning against one another, gossiping, talking down to each other, hoping for destruction and passing judgment. That is exactly what the enemy wants and even if you think you’re doing the right thing by joining “the movement” to save whatever group of people needs saving, you’re in fact adding to the issue rather than furthering the Kingdom of God. In fact, you’re going to push fellow Believers away from the “cause” because you will be accusing and isolating and making them feel feel bad (which none of this is from the Father) and those who you’re joining aren’t going to be able to tell you apart from themselves and won’t see Jesus because you’re not treating them any differently. You will be pushing both sides away from Jesus. So before you just jump on the bandwagon and get mad, get on your knees and pray and ask for wisdom and guidance and righteous anger. Ask God for His blessing and His hand and unity. Then look for action if you’re supposed to and if God instructs you to simply keep praying, then that’s what you’re going to do. I think that those of you who are struggling with your mental health because you’re taking on too many causes, are struggling for a reason. God knew this was going to be too much and that’s why He sent Jesus to save this world because all of the darkness, hurt and disfunction is too much for any of us to handle and shoulder that weight. It is not living in ignorance when you’re living in the freedom of Jesus, because in His freedom you can see people the way He sees them and you can serve them so much better than when you try to see them and champion for them in the way the world deems “best”.
I mean the first thing that God tells us to do when faced with a problem is to go to Him in prayer.
Philippians 4:6-7 says
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
So get in His word, His presence and around His people.
Pray for one another.
In James 5:16 God made it clear that prayer from His people, for His people, means a great deal to Him.
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
When there is conflict handle it as instructed in Matthew 18 and rather than harbor anger and sit in frustration- pray, discuss and seek to understand.
Ephesians 6:10-20 makes it clear what we are supposed to do as Believers partaking in this battle here on Earth. Spiritual warfare is real and it is entangled with the reality that we see and touch and feel. There is a war raging around us and we feel it energetically and we see it tangibly and it’s up to us to stand strong in God; fighting, serving and loving.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”
Pray. Worship. Serve in the ways that God gives you to serve.
Don’t get me wrong, God makes it crystal clear that we are supposed to serve others, you just need to grasp the understanding that the way we serve doesn’t have to all look the same way.
Don’t discount the different parts of the body and that way that God intends us to work together. Don’t discount prayer and stop assuming that people don’t care if they’re not vocal, because trust me, some of the people that care the most are very vocal, they’re just having a direct conversation with the only one who can actually do anything about all of the hurt. That’s not to say that physically serving on Earth isn’t important and cannot be directed by God- I mean it’s in the Bible- but it’s not everything and so we have to stop making it everything.
So I’ll end with what I began with, now that another side of this equation has been presented to you:
Do you think that you can stand in silence?
Thank you so much for listening in this week. If you’d like to share your story, shoot me an email or DM. You can follow me on Instagram @riley_quin and you can also sign up for my monthly email list on my website rileyq.com or click the link below. If you feel called to, please share with a woman who you know needs to be strengthened and encouraged. It would mean the world to me if you’d leave a podcast review on Apple podcasts and let me know your favorite part of this week’s episode. Thanks again & be sure to subscribe and come back next Wednesday for a new episode!
As always, I’m so glad you’re here. You’re wanted, needed and loved. I see you, I hear you and you my love, by the grace of God, you are enough.