 Stand Up, Speak Out Cassandra Boyson February 16, 2017 In college, I began to play chess with a number of students after lunch. There was a particular friend who claimed women couldn’t play chess as well as men. While I was, in fact, terrible at it, I then determined to prove him wrong. So, I played incessantly, learning from him and all who would train me, until I finally bested the very one who had made the claim.
This same friend also liked to debate and took great pride in his debating skills. I, personally, hate debating and wasn’t very good at keeping a clear mind when speaking about things that meant something to me. However, after months of argument with this person, I had transformed into a shrewd, emboldened voice. In the end, this person had developed in me the ability to speak my mind with confidence and clarity. My friend’s constant desire to prove me wrong in various issues actually trained me until he could no longer win against me. I see this happening with the formerly silent majority. The more our political opponents poke at us, the stronger we will become. Inevitably, they will not crush us. Rather, they will develop in us not only a louder cry, but also the knowledge of our responsibility to speak up. The silent majority can be silent no longer and the silent majority chose to be silent no longer when we elected President Donald J. Trump. As conservative Christians, we are daily bombarded with mocking, bashing, finger pointing and taunting – even out and out bullying, both verbally and physically. But many of us, especially in past, find it difficult to speak up. Moreover, it often seems futile, doesn’t it? They won’t hear us; they’ll just continue mocking. But if we were to go on letting them rant and rave and stood back doing nothing, their voice would only grow louder and their confidence in their abusive tactics greater. I am so often ashamed of what the world must see when they look at our country right now and I would hate for them to think that the majority of us behave in the adolescent, imprudent manner that a great number of Americans have recently displayed. We must take it upon ourselves to speak up whenever the occasion arises and we must do so with thoughtfulness, maturity and wisdom. In past, my tactic has so often been to abstain from a reply of any kind to those who harass or disagree with me. But we are being called to step out as Jesus himself did when dealing with the Pharisees. Furthermore, we must ask Him to anoint our words and presentation so that we will make a deeper impact, just as He did. Blatantly honest and unapologetic, Jesus freely exposed the iniquities and injustices of the day. Certainly, there were those who were offended (they did crucify Him), but there were so many more who were either made to second guess themselves or were encouraged and refreshed by the truths that superseded decades of lies. To this day, the words he spoke continue to unveil the tricks the enemy uses to make wickedness appear as goodness and vice versa. But we must be vigilant to guard our hearts from being consumed with the desire to criticize or to speak from a place of hatred. After all, Jesus spent most of his time loving on those around him, teaching the spiritually hungry, feeding the physically hungry and healing the sick and wounded. This is, first and foremost, the life we are called to and we must not become like those we seek to discredit. However, now He has been raised, we are His mouthpieces on earth and it is our calling to sow truth and love back into this nation. Cassandra Boyson http://www.cassandraboyson.com Cassandra Boyson is author of Amazon bestselling Christian Fantasy series, the Seeker's Trilogy. Through her books, she hopes not only to take readers on exciting fantasy adventures, but to reveal that God is the only One in Whom true power lies and He is the One who loves more deeply than any human ever could. Cassandra is the daughter of Victoria Boyson, well-known author and speaker, and works with her in her ministry. She is also Co-Founder of Women of Impact Ministries. Comments are closed.
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