Romans 12:18 wisely
advises, ‘If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all
men.’ One thing that can quickly dispel peace is speaking truth-to-power. How
risky and potentially messy! Just ask Moses, Jeremiah, Jesus, Isaiah, Martin
Luther, Martin Luther King, and many others!
Like me, have you ever been
thrust into wrestling with whether to speak truth-to-power, potentially
disrupting peace, or to keep silent and cower to your fears, and suffer along
with others the consequences of keeping silent? The strong grip of fear seems
to tighten even more as truth >>>SCREAMS<<<
to be released into the increasingly untenable situation. And it seems the
mantle of speaking the truth has undeniably, and recognizably fallen upon…YOU! My, my, what will you do?!
Unless you are naturally confrontational, you may
wrestle, first in research and then in prayer, seeking to clarify your own
understanding of ‘truth’ in the matter at hand. Once your truth is established
in your mind and spirit, the wrestling match may turn to seeking alternative
voices who can carry ‘your’ load, but they are either present, but are
even more reluctant than you are, or worse yet, they are non-existent! My, my,
what will
you do?!
You may then wrestle in prayer, seeking alternative
modes of delivering your truth, whether directly, as in orally
-- face-to-face as Moses was challenged to do with Pharaoh (with the support of
Aaron), or indirectly, as in writing or via some appropriate ‘object
lesson’ or example, hoping the intended target will ‘get it!’ My,
my, what will you do?!
Alas! Facing more sleepless nights, early morning
promptings of your spirit, and a stream of incredible imaginations about
possible scenarios that may ensue, you finally find faith and courage to commit
to speak truth as you know it. You may prepare and rehearse your spiel. You
continue to pray, seeking to hear God’s affirming voice, and receive His
reassuring peace, as you try to perceive what His possible lessons may be in
leading you to this seeming dead end… or
possibly new beginning.
Finally, you speak,
releasing truth into a murky, confusing situation, with all the Grace you can
muster, keeping in mind James 3:16.* Reactions will either be positive/constructive, or
negative/destructive; short or long drawn out. Either way, you are now
committed to your truth, and locked into the evolving, reactionary scenarios
and their consequences.
--Now is the time to hold tightly onto the Grace you
have received to get you this far.
--Now is the time to extend Grace to others involved, as God presents opportunities to do so.
--Now is also the time to ‘...know testing of your faith produces patience’, and to ‘...let patience have its perfect work, so you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.’ (James 1:2-4)
In our world, ‘power’
is derived from position, money, might and influence. While all of these
trappings are very temporary, some ‘holders of power’ may overlook this fact, and act accordingly. Over
time, positions shift, money deflates, might wanes, and influence dissolves.
Truth, however, remains, and God’s Truth, of course, is eternal. Speaking
truth-to-power is not without risks, and the prospect can certainly risk ‘losing
your head/mind’, both figuratively and also literally, as was the case with
John, The Baptist. This is most certainly an area that must be handled with
prayer and Grace.
As you reflect on
the above and your own personal experiences with speaking truth-to-power, consider
this. Paul’s admonition to ‘live
peaceably with all men’ does not include ‘peace at any price’. When our pursuit of peace results in
the suppression or crucifixion of Truth, we have gone too far. This is
when we need to apply our spiritual guts
and backbone to murky situations that will only become murkier if/as they
are ignored, stepped around, and repressed. Been
there; done that!
But in the midst of the mess is clearly not
the time to start developing your spiritual guts and backbone. When? How? (Feel free to share your thoughts.)
Here’s my take. Feeding on God’s Truth (The Bible) daily enables
us to (a) fall in love with Truth, (b) recognize Truth in life’s situations, and
(c) become both willing and equipped to defend Truth as
opportunities arise. Admittedly, this is a long-term process, but one
definitely worth starting, intentionally. God is faithful, and He knows
whether your heart’s intentions are to
live peaceably with all men, but not peaceably at any price. Perhaps,
only when we arrive at this point will He trust us with greater, deeper insights
into His Truth, both to walk out in our lives… and to defend, as necessary.
Peace to you
(but not at any price~)
;o)
----------
* For
where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.
(James 3:16)
I have wrestled with family members, church members wanting to tell the the truth and not hurt someone's feelings. I have told the truth and have lost friendship as a result of it. Some people either don't want to hear the truth nor do they appreciate you being truthful.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Trust me, I FEEL your pain.
DeleteWhile this post addresses speaking our perceived truth to those in powerful positions, let's face it, to each person, he/she is 'in power' in his/her own eyes, so the post applies much more broadly than just to those in formal powerful positions.
It is a Grace walk to balance seeking peace with truth-telling, especially when ears, hearts and minds may be closed to 'your' perception of truth.
One way to help soften the perceived blow to people's egos (and that's just what it usually is) is to find creative ways to frame your perceived truth as a question or series of hopefully un-intimidating questions, and then back off and allow the recipients to find their own answers. In a sense, this helps to ensure their honor, and avoid 'losing (prideful) face'. They can also take credit for 'THEIR' discovery! ;o)
Be ware, this does not always work, especially with people in power who have really sensitive egos and who do not like to be questioned, especially by a younger person, or someone from another race, or sex, or 'class'. Trust me, I've encountered it all!
(Corrected version)
A great post--thought-provoking and inspiring!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment to Anonymous about asking questions--not easy, but a great strategy. Our Savior was a Master at it, not only to confront but to teach.
I also agree that immersing ourselves in the scriptures is a great way to prepare because not only do we learn to understand and recognize truth more readily, but we also invite the Holy Spirit to be with us.
The Spirit will help us frame how we speak truth to power to be effective beyond our own capacity--and will help us deal with the consequences of having spoken up!
In Jeremiah 17:9-10, God says He tests our hearts. I believe this may include orchestrating testy situations (especially among church folk) in which both powerful actors and less powerful observers are challenged and tested. I believe this all may be related to God's work in (a) perfecting His people, promised in Psalm 138:8, and also (b) preparing each of us for specific roles/responsibilities in the coming Millennial Reign of Christ.
DeleteThanks for reading and sharing your encouraging feedback on this post. It addresses a very serious issue, one I wrestled with at length earlier this year!
Agree!
Delete