When Silence is Betrayal

“There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” -Martin Luther King, Jr. 

“Loyalty to family, loyalty to friends, loyalty to God, and loyalty to truth and justice will not prevail in silence.  There is a time to be still, and a time to be silent, but there are times when silence is betrayal.  We must defend, we must support, and we must speak out for all that is good and right. 

When our family is persecuted or attacked, we must rally together as one and never be silent in our love or our support.  Does not family deserve our alliance and our advocacy?  When friends are wrongfully betrayed, we must never be the betrayer and we must never stand on the side of the betrayer.  When our God is attacked and maligned is not silence betrayal? 

The truth of the Bible and the truth about the Lord God and the Lord Jesus are truths hated, and truth denied by many, but those who believe must stand firm and must not be silent.  We see the God-ordained union of marriage attacked, we see the God-ordained institution of family attacked, and we see the sanctity and value of human life attacked with viciousness and continuity.  

There are times when silence is acceptance and there are times when silence is betrayal.  I do not force my beliefs upon others, but I also do not stand silent when my beliefs are attacked and maligned.  Let loyalty be seen, and let love and loyalty never be silent.”

I am not a very dramatic person, and I go out of my way to avoid conflict at all costs.  Just the thought of having an altercation with someone is enough to get my heart pounding and palms sweating.  I can be guilty of being quite timid and not always standing for what is right out of fear of confrontation.  However, I have never had a problem in being bold in defending one I love.  I am very much a mama bear when it comes to close friends and family members, and I am always quick to jump to their defense.  But to my shame, I don’t always jump to God’s defense. 

When His name is cursed and His ways mocked, I need to be ready to defend Him the way I’d defend my child or anyone whom I love.  I often sit timidly out of fear of what people may think, thus betraying God, but I am learning to stand boldly for my Savior and my beliefs, regardless of what men may say.  I need to remained focused on what is truly important and whose favor I should seek, for no man’s opinion is more valuable than the Lord’s.