Will We Be Silent?

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Enough is enough. 

Esther 4:14 is the famous scripture that Mordecai spoke to Esther when she had a chance to use her voice, her platform, and her influence to make a difference, but she was afraid. 

She was afraid of what people might think. 
She was afraid of losing her influence. 
She feared for her life.

Still yet, Mordecai said to her:

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14 NIV)

Centuries later, the same sentiments ring true today. We are being presented with a moment to raise our voices, use our “platforms,” and use our influence to speak Truth, Compassion, and Hope to a world in desperate need of a people and specifically, a Church, who shows and expresses the heart of God.

God has and will always be about people.
God has and will always be about justice. 
God has and will always be about love and bearing one another’s burdens even when we are wrestling with our own.

Systemic racism and injustice is not a myth. It is our reality. As an African-American woman, I can certainly tell you: it is my reality. It doesn’t matter how the world politicizes, justifies, or “waters down” this matter. It does NOT negate how God’s Word calls us to respond.

People are hurting. 

  • Do we tell them that their way of expressing their pain now voids how we are called to respond?

  • Do we tell them that their pain is too politically inconvenient for us to address?

  • Do we tell them that their pain is too socially uncomfortable for us to acknowledge?

  • Do we tell them that their pain is something we can’t understand, so “shut up,” I am tired of hearing about it?

Today, I am reminding us all: WE have been called for such a time as this. We have a voice. We have a position. We have a platform. We have influence. Will we be silent? Will you be silent? How will we respond?

With Love,

Isis Smalls

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