répondez s'il vous plaît or not?

I was about eight months pregnant with my daughter and standing in front of an ice cream stand --Where else? --when someone made a rude remark about a mutual acquaintance. I half-heartedly joined in with some of the others in their laughter. I knew it was wrong; I claimed to be a Christian, but I wasn't a stand-up sort of person in those days. And, if I'm being candid, the question I sometimes ask myself is, Am I a stand-up person now? If given the opportunity to play that moment over again, would I speak up, remain silent, flash a look of judgment, or join --uncomfortably or not --in the laughter? How would I respond? By giving the cruel remark nothing but a well-timed side-eye and changing the subject, do I signal agreement or do I rob its hate of the acknowledgment it seeks? If I speak up, am I promoting virtue? Or am I giving rudeness more breath, more effort, more time in the spotlight than it truly deserves? To fight for something is to uphold its value, to preserve and, perhaps, increase its worth. And if we are not clear in our purpose, to fight against something may also provide it with value: time, attention, even blood. Does the fight add credence to the truth or the lie? Are we defending good or fighting evil? 

Think of the non-starter that would have remained so had it not been for the exposure granted it by well-meaning people who railed against it. Recall boycotts that served as free advertising for a little-known business and protests that actually heightened sympathy for the protested. Think, for example, of Christianity. Throughout the Book of Acts, we see the early church experiencing a great deal of persecution. And persecution exists even today! The savagery of those intending to shut down a transformative movement like Christianity, worked to draw attention to the truth. Who would willingly die in such a brutal fashion for a lie? The confidence with which people faced lions was beyond inspirational: it was humanly inexplicable! And, I guess, we have to ask the question, When the world errs or seeks to do wrong, is it always our duty to always speak up for what is true? Does walking away disarm a bully, rob a lie of credibility, leave a non-issue a non-issue? I'm asking because I don't have an answer. And I'm not sure there is one answer. I'm not convinced it's formulaic. 

I think there's great importance in depending on Christ alone, having His heart, and relating to others as He did. 1 Peter 3:15 says believers should be prepared to defend the hope we have, and the Scriptures are clear on our obligation to share the truth of the Gospel with others. We are to stand firm in our faith. But does that mean we come against every false belief or wrong behavior in the world? Is being right the same as being righteous? I don't think so. Sometimes the greatest battles take place in our own lives, the false beliefs and sinful behaviors we have allowed within the gates of our own hearts. The doomscrolling. The judgment. The gossip. And that's not to say we have no authority to call out the error or disobedience of others (if those "others" are believers, we absolutely must correct them in love), but sometimes it's all we can do to pound out the chinks in our own armor. We're not fighting flesh and blood, and we're not called to right every wrong or save every degenerate. In fact, we can't save one.

I think there's a time and a place to speak up. But I also think some of the most successful battles have been won when the people of God are wearing out their knees. When the opportunity strikes --whether in front of an ice cream stand or in the workplace, whether our children have said something outrageous or a spouse has made an assumption, when you are tasked with the choice of boldly defending what's right or quietly allowing a lie to make a fool of itself, before we open our mouths, before we walk away, let's ask our King how He would have us respond.