Who do you stand up for?
Do you stand up for the Muslim woman on the beach who is humiliated and told to remove her outer modesty wear because she is not allowed to wear any religious items on the beach?
After all, you’re not even the same religion. Plus, she chose to put on those types of clothes on and bring attention to herself.
Do you stand up and protest in the middle of a church-organised seminar when somebody starts targeting a particular group of individuals whose “lifestyle choice” is different to the mainstream and calling them an “abomination”?
After all, it’s not your problem and everyone is entitled to say what they think.
Do you sit down and shake your head in disgust at church when somebody brings up the topic of refugees? “Not again!”, you think to yourself, “When are they going to start helping real people who need help in this country? Most of them aren’t real refugees anyway.”
After all, you already have it hard enough struggling to make ends meet yourself. Plus, you might have arrived from another country “legally” and they didn’t, so that’s their problem and definitely not yours.
What happens when a person comes to you for help with a serious matter where they have experienced some kind of abuse ??Wouldn’t it be easier to just inform the pastors and ask them to handle it? Why should you get embroiled in something that you didn’t ask for?
After all, you would rather just pray for them than?actually do something about it. You already have so many other important things to handle in your life.
Why should we step up against acts of injustice?
Why can’t we just live our own lives in peace?
Do our voices count?
Does standing up make a difference?
If I call myself a Jesus follower, then I must look at him first and?follow his example.
Indeed, His message has always been about how He came to save EVERYONE. He kept on standing up for that one person who was rejected or marginalised by society.
Jesus stood up for many
He stood up for the woman who was too ashamed to go to the well with the rest of the women. He showed her grace instead of judgement. (John 4:1-30)
Jesus stood up for the woman who was about to be stoned to death for being caught in adulterous circumstances. He showed her grace when she seemed to have disgraced herself. (John 8:1-11)
Jesus stood up for Matthew, ?the tax collector, who jumped at the chance of being accepted again by those he had let down. He concluded his visit with Matthew by saying, “For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost.” (Luke 19:1-10)
Jesus stood up for children when they were turned away even by his own followers. (Matthew 19:13-15)
The Jesus I know stood up to include people who were commonly considered unworthy of saving.
Jesus stood up for you and me that he even died for us
Jesus continues to stand up for you and me and even others that we don’t consider worthy because He considers us/them worthy.
When others are standing up for policies in a spirit of overwrought righteousness and judgement, consider carefully who they might be standing up for.
According to Bob Goff, author of ‘Love Does’ and an attorney who founded Restore International, a non-profit human rights organisation operating in Uganda, India and Somalia, “We’ll know where we are in our faith, by how we treat the people we disagree with the most.”
We must step up against any instance of injustice because that is what Jesus did when He was on this earth and continues to do.
We can’t live in our lives in peace unless we ourselves do something about it. We cannot have real peace when we know that there are others who are suffering on this earth and are counting on us to help them – one person at a time.
Yes, our voices do count. One voice amongst many makes our words louder.
Standing up makes a difference. It brings us a step closer to bringing kingdom living here on this earth.
The Newbold Sisterhood speaks up for the voiceless and the vulnerable in our community and beyond
You are always loved.
You are always worthy.
You are always welcome.
Nothing can separate you from our love and God’s love.
If you need a safe place to fall, we will put all the cushions and pillows out for you.
If you need warmth and understanding, we will have a cup of hot chocolate and a hug waiting for you.
If you need to make difficult choices and lack support, we will hold your hand while you seek help from professionals who can guide you effectively.
We’re standing up for you. We’re standing up for each other. We’re standing up for you before we even know you.
