My Silence is not Compliance

I do my best to stay away from really controversial issues.  I am, to the core, a non-confrontational person and I firmly believe that a peaceful stance always wins in the end.  That is until I began seeing subtitles on social media declaring, "Silence is Compliance."

Let me make myself clear...my silence is not compliance.  My silence is disbelief and sadness.  My silence is pain and suffering.  My silence is a loss of words, not a lack of them.

A long time ago, I made a commitment to fight for the good in this world.  I got so tired of watching sad videos, posting sad photos and being combative with my passive-aggressive words.  And let me tell you - you either use social media to BRING JOY or TAKE JOY.  There is no gray area.  You either motivate people for positive change or you drag them into your gutter.

Why do I not post #blacklivesmatter or #bluelivesmatter or #alllivesmatter?  Because those phrases are just part of my core beliefs.  People know that about me because of my ACTIONS, not my social media debates.  If I had to put a bunch of hashtags about what I believed it would look like this:

#allbabiesmatter
#allchildrenmatter
#allhomosexualsmatter
#allchristiansmatter
#allmuslimsmatter
#allimmagrantsmatter
#alldemocratsmatter
#allrepublicansmatter
#allguncarryingcitizensmatter

Do you know what all of those hashtags have in common?  No, it's not that they are all in the middle of an incredibly volatile debate.  It's that they are PEOPLE.  And not just people - they are MY GOD's SONS AND DAUGHTERS.

I don't need to go to social media and quote statistics and debate one side or the other or try and explain myself to hundreds of people who are just looking for a fight.  As Christians, Christ taught us that our words are worthless - it's our actions that set us apart.   The bible says NOTHING about publicly declaring war on social issues.  But it says a lot about being Light to others behind the scenes:

"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret."-Matthew 6:3-4

Who is considered "needy" in this day and age?  Mankind.  Mankind is needy.  What does my public professions on social media accomplish for mankind?  Let one side see that I am fighting for them and the other feel like I'm against them?  And then the next day, when yet ANOTHER tragedy occurs - let everyone know that I'm really for both sides?   Words are exhaustive - actions matter.

If you want to make a difference, and you are a Caucasian, call every African American friend you know and tell them you love them and you are standing up for them.  If you want to make a difference, and you are an African American, walk up to every single police officer you come in contact with, shake their hand and declare peace, understanding and respect.  And if you MUST, absolutely MUST post something on Social Media - for the love of God and everything holy - you better make sure that it is something that BRINGS JOY not STEALS IT.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy..."- John 10:10

"The tongue has the power of life and death..."- Proverbs 18:21

This very moment, the Enemy may be using YOU - a follower of Christ - as a way to steal, kill and destroy.  Maybe not exactly with your tongue but most certainly with your key strokes.

No, my silence is not compliance.  But I will choose action over words any day.