The Voice in the Middle

Life in 2020, huh? I mean, that statement alone could be a whole post. Halfway through the year and we’ve already faced more divisiveness than is quantifiable. I mean, forget the stuff we see online or on the television. Set aside COVID-19 and all of the socio-political news. I don’t know a single family who hasn’t personally endured multiple struggles at a greater magnitude than ever before in a single year.

Heavy stuff.

And so much noise.

Necessary noise, a lot of it. But still, everything from every direction is just so very, very loud. Polarized, too.

But you know what’s interesting to me most? When I mute the noise and dig a little deeper into quieter conversations with the people around me—diverse people from different backgrounds and beliefs—I find that few people in real life are quite as polarized as the noise makes it seem. Strong opinions and deep hurts, yes. But not everyone is adding to the noise and negativity.

Please don’t misunderstand or think I’m minimizing what’s happening out there. A whole lot of people right now are making much needed noise with valid arguments, concerns, and problems. I’m not speaking to them. I’m speaking to the rather large group along the spectrum closer to the middle. Those in the silent majority who feel voiceless or unheard because of the volume of noise created by the extreme ends of the issues. Any issue. All issues.

I’m writing to the people who feel like—pardon the blunt language—we’re damned if we do, damned if we don’t. I’m writing especially to those (Christians specifically) who choose not to engage in the noise and the arguing and the infighting. To those who feel like anything we might hope to say is either just going to cause more fighting and more noise, hurt someone unintentionally, or be completely ignored.

Why? Because these are the voices of reason that need to be heard most. You are the BOTH/AND in an EITHER/OR world. You are the dot within the yin and the yang, trying to create momentum to swirl those colors a little. You are the ones who can take action and make a difference—to spark real, lasting, positive change out there.

How? Refuse to stay complacent. Silent. And gosh, I know that’s hard right now. It’s so much easier to stay quiet and let our actions speak instead because the noise is already too much to handle. I’m an empath, so I actually get it. The sheer volume of the pain and anger and hatred in this world hurts me physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I’ve been pretty much a gelatinous blob of feelings and nausea for weeks.

And I’m guilty of staying silent. I’m guilty of not using my God-given voice and gift for words because it’s too hard and intimidating. I’ve written well-intended social media posts, hoping to spark positive conversations, only to delete them a short while later because I could see the comments trending toward the divisive chaos.

Sometimes, silence is wisdom. Okay, most of the time. Proverbs repeatedly warns about fools running off at the mouth and the wise watching their tongue.

But you know what? This week, my silence has caused nothing but unrest. I thought I could continue as I have been, reaching out quietly under the radar to people God placed on my heart to reach out to. Reading up on all the issues, educating myself, and working practically toward being a better human, a better Christian. Praying my guts out and reading my Word. All good things. Important things that do make a difference.

Not enough, though. I feel the Spirit stirring within me, and I find that what’s happening in our world is too important to stay silent any longer. On all fronts. COVID. Racism. Elections. Fill in the blanks. Abraham Lincoln paraphrased from Luke 11:17/Mark 3:25, Jesus cautioning that a house divided against itself cannot stand. This is a truth America hasn’t been able to internalize… ever. More than just America, but humanity as a whole.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12 NIV).

For most people, it’s easier to engage in these battles that divide us than to find common ground. Why? Because if our eyes are focused on ourselves and on the issues, they aren’t focused on the One who can solve them. And that, right there, is the one and only real battle for all time. See, our true enemy—Satan, the devil—knows that he doesn’t even need us to acknowledge him or his work. Humans are made in the image, the likeness, of God. And because of that, it’s so very easy to fool us into believing that we can be like God. Or that we are gods. We don’t even have to worship the devil for him to win—we’re too busy worshiping ourselves via our OWN priorities, our needs, our passions, our good intentions. The noise.

So how do we fix this mess? I mean, really. How do we fix this mess?

We’ve got to stop being distracted by X and Y, no matter how valid or necessary X and Y may be, and put our focus back up heavenward. To stop giving in to the divisive spirits around us. To be Christians first, before any of our other identities. To find the place of both/and instead of getting sucked into the either/or. And to use our voices—no longer remain the silent majority, afraid to speak because we’re damned by our society either way. And so what if we are? We don’t belong to the world. Let us not forget that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (or self-discipline, depending on your translation of 2 Timothy 1:7).

When our focus is on Christ foremost, our behavior and our world will change as a natural result of the Kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven.

Ephesians 4 tells us that in speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become the mature body of Christ. So I encourage you, my friends, my brothers and sisters, to seek out the both/and in the issues before us. To continue being that sliver of overlap in a Venn Diagram. Because it IS POSSIBLE to both/and. You can like rock AND country music, right? Or love heels AND flats, contemporary romance AND historical. We can both/and with real issues, too.

You can both socially distance AND find ways to love your neighbor. You can be both respectful of the government AND skeptical of it. You can support the Black community AND respect police officers. You can know that #BlackLivesMatter AND other lives do too (does that really need saying?). You can disagree with the President or Pelosi AND still respect their authority. You can forgive someone AND still hurt. You can speak up for Truth AND do so with love, kindness, and respect.

Let’s keep Ecclesiastes 7:18 also in mind: It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes (NIV), or as the Message puts it, It’s best to stay in touch with both sides of an issue. A person who fears God deals responsibly with all of reality, not just a piece of it.

And most importantly, listen to the Spirit at work in you as you keep your eyes trained on Him instead of solely the world around you. Speak when He prompts, but always in truth and in love. And if you can’t recall what it means to speak in love, re-read 1 Corinthians 13, which is the best definition for figuring out how to reflect God, who IS LOVE.

Wisdom knows the difference between when to stay silent, when to amplify the voice of others, and when to speak up. Seek Him for that wisdom, and follow His prompting. But always, always, listen, speak, and act with love at the forefront.

All scripture quotations taken from the YouVersion Bible app.