This post, by Tamara Hiscock, is a reflection on the “‘I Came To Bring Division’ -Jesus” sermon as part of the “In the Name of Jesus” sermon series.
I volunteer as a Crisis Responder with Kids Help Phone, so every week I log onto my computer and I have conversations with kids who are in crisis. Some of these are extremely hard conversations and over the last couple of weeks there has been a distinct pattern that has presented itself: silence. Most of these kids are dealing with heavy things and they are terrified of saying something, of standing up and speaking out. Some are watching their friends be bullied and are scared to say something because of the fear that they in turn will be bullied as well, so instead they are living with the shame and guilt of not saying anything. They have truths that need to be spoken, but are terrified as to what will happen if they do, so they stay silent. There are kids who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community and are afraid to tell their parents, there are kids who are afraid to tell their parents that they have chosen to follow God because of their parents extreme atheist views, there are kids who are suffering from being bullied themselves and are too afraid to tell their teachers, parents, principle and even their friends.
Like these kids my voice is a part of who I am as a person. It is how I express myself, aside from my actions. Like these kids I have the choice to use my voice or not, to say whatever it is that comes to my mind, or to keep it all inside and leave it as strictly a thought, to speak up or simply stay silent. I can be the most talkative person and I can also be silent just like the kids that I talk to every week. I do this for many different reasons; I don’t want to hurt others feelings, step on any toes, avoid confrontations, etc. We all have our own reasons as to why we stay silent. Over the years I have learned that speaking out has much greater value than staying silent. In staying silent not only do you do a disservice to yourself, but others as well. I have also learned over the years that keeping silent is a weakness of mine. That Canadian politeness is engrained into me straight to my core.
In listening to the sermon the words of Martin Luther King Jr came to my mind “There comes a time when silence is betrayal” and I have definitely betrayed people with my silence. When you are silent on an issue that is happening you are being complicit, you are giving your approval of what is happening. I have done this more often than I would like to admit. This sermon spoke to me as more of a challenge for myself; to start speaking up regardless of my fears. There are plenty of injustices out in the news these days and maybe it is time to lend my voice to even just one.