Do you ever have those moments where a thought comes to mind that maybe God is telling you something, and later on a completely seperate event is the 2 x 4 in the forehead telling you, "Yes, He was."?
I had one of those moments yesterday.
I was at school and they were hosting an expo event showcasing the different departments and clubs offered. I walked around from table to table and anyone who knows me knows I have NO problem striking up a conversation...most of the time. I had conversation after conversation with a very diverse group of people representing a very diverse choice of interests. (Even when I had no real interest in becoming involved.) One conversation was going very well. The woman I was talking to and I found common ground talking about having a child with special needs. Another student came up to the table and the conversation shifted. The two of them began talking about an event that had occured where a group of Christians had protested. It became very obvious very quickly that they felt it was wrong of them to protest and even used the description "religious fanatics" to describe the protestors. I stood there quietly for a moment and then excused myself from the conversation.
As I continued I began to walk past a table for a Wiccan Club. Uhhhhh... A very nice young lady asked me if I would like to come where I would be accepted. (While I am wearing a cross necklace.) -- by the way, I could go in another direction with this one and will in a later post. I simply said, "No thank you," and kept walking.
After I had left, a thought hit me. Why did I stay silent and not politely share my views with the two women who were offended about the protest? Why did I walk away and not engage the young lady in a conversation and find out why she would choose to be in a Wiccan club? FEAR! Later that night on ONU's radio station the D.J. was talking about speaking up in situations like that. (The 2x 4.) It is so easy for me to think of the right things to say when I'm alone and safe. I just need to learn to trust God to help me find the right things to say while I am in the midst of the situation.
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6 comments:
I wish I understood it Rachel. I see this all the time with gossip. We would not stand (I hope) and watch a person be beaten to death but we will watch as someone murders someone else's character. Why? What so hard about saying, "Stop?"
Great post, Rachel. I'm trying to start speaking up too, since staying quiet is starting to feel fake to me. I have to risk other people not liking me - otherwise, if I just stay quiet, the me they like isn't the real me anyway. But, it might have been God keeping you quiet on the protest if they were talking about the people that Erik blogged about recently:
http://erichter.wordpress.com
/2008/01/23/westboro-strikes-again/ May God give me the grace to know when to hush, when to speak, and always to listen!
AHHHHHH! I had a great comment and in the process of trying to post it, it got wiped out!
Welcome Dennis and Nora!
I have no idea what took place at the protest outside of listening to their conversation. It was local and did not involve Westboro, but I can't help but believe that the press that Westboro receives has some effect on the women's view of Christians.
I look at this situation (after the fact) as a missed opportunity to show them a positive experience with a Christian without the hate. It may be that they have a jaded view and believe we should keep our opinions to ourselves. The point is I will never know because I stayed silent.
You're right, Rachel. Thank God we get second chances, huh? By the way, how do you like my giraffe picture? I figured out how to do that since I couldn't watch TV over the internet...had to do something else to play!
I think I'm actually getting better at this. Part of it is getting older and a little more mature in recognizing it really doesn't matter what people think of me, I don't always have to please people.
I try to remember 1 Peter about speaking to people with gentleness and respect, but still speaking with people. Just because we disagree doesn't mean we have to be disagreeable.
I know one thing I stuggle with is just not feeling like I have all the answers - that if someone asked me something I couldn't answer I'd make Christians look stupid or something. I tend to avoid evolution/creation discussions for this very reason.
Rachel, we can only do the best we can and trust God to teach us and help us be ready for the next opportunity.
Nora,
I have to say, I love the giraffe pic! How cool is that. How nervous were you getting that close or is it old hat now?
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