Let Your Voice Be Heard

The other day I saw a commercial making light of an extremely serious and destructive “hobby” that more and more women are participating in. I couldn’t stop thinking about it throughout the day and I began to feel compelled to share my thoughts on the subject. Although those thoughts are important, and we’ll get to them, a bigger message was in my heart today: to share and let my voice be heard for what I believe in, and to encourage others to do the same.

I personally have some very strong opinions about what is right and wrong, but I bet even my closest friends and family couldn’t tell you where I actually stand with many social or moral issues. Why? Because I don’t speak up. I don’t speak up because I’m afraid. I’m afraid of offending someone, of people disagreeing with me, or judgments that may come my way. I’m afraid of putting myself out there when to me it seems pointless; I doubt my tiny voice will be heard or help anyone at all. And most of all, I’m afraid to voice my opinion because I don’t have everything figured out. I don’t have the bible memorized or hours of research to back myself up, and I don’t feel like I belong in the conversation when sometimes all I have to say is, “I just know it’s right/wrong”. For all these reasons, I haven’t bothered to stand up for what I know is right or wrong; I’ve become weak in the face of adversity, letting things slide right by. When I see a Facebook post I disagree with, I choose not to say anything rather than say something and possibly cause an argument. But there is a difference between being respectful of others and being voiceless; between being friendly and being too afraid to defend our beliefs.

In a church service we recently attended, I was reminded of who we are here trying to please. Does it matter more if we have a huge Facebook fan base, or if we defended Christ today? Is it more important that we didn’t “offend” anyone today or that we shared God’s word? We are not here to please others, our friends and family, or even ourselves. We are here to please God, and Him alone. Remembering that truly helps lift so much worldly stress and expectations off of our shoulders.

Everywhere I look I see Christian beliefs and morals being trampled on, made light of, mocked and shamed; in movies and commercials, books, magazines, blogs, politics and news, conversations and interactions with people, and even social media posts from friends and family. It makes me sick to my stomach and in the past I’ve just turned a blind eye, preferring silence because it’s easier.

But I have come to realize that NOW is the time to step up; we cannot leave it to others any longer. Who else is going to defend our own beliefs but us?? God needs us to have a voice. However cheesy it may sound, we are God’s army and there is a huge battle being fought. I don’t know about you, but I want my children to grow up watching me stand up for what I believe in and I want them to have the confidence to do so themselves. Please, please join me and let your voice be heard. Be an example with your words and actions, and do not be afraid to speak up. We have absolutely NO idea how sharing our beliefs one seemingly insignificant time could impact the lives around us.

God’s plan is so much bigger than we can even imagine.

P.S. In case you’re wondering, what I saw was maybe a real Amazon commercial or maybe a joke of an Amazon commercial, but it depicted a bunch of different women, all mothers, being caught in the act of pleasuring themselves while reading 50 Shades of Grey. The punch line was to get your wife / mom the gift she really wants.

You guys. 50 Shades of Grey is not even close to being OK, and that commercial is disgusting. It is not “just a book”. It is vulgar, demoralizing, and just as offensive and sinful as pornography. Here is a blog post I feel does the topic justice, and by a blogger I really respect for speaking up, even though sometimes many may not like what he has to say: To the Women of America: 4 Reasons to Hate 50 Shades of Grey