4 Questions I Ask Myself Before Speaking Out for My Convictions
A lesson from Esther...
I’ve always liked to talk… maybe a bit too much. I was that kid in school who couldn’t shut up in class. I always had something to say and would speak to whoever would listen. Teachers, parents, friends, kids on the playground, random strangers on the street peddling candy...I kid, I kid. Stranger danger was real. I’m a 90s kid who drew the line at getting murdered.
But I digress…
When speaking your mind and finding your voice were celebrated during the pandemic, I fit right in, sister. Or at least I did until God abruptly told me to be silent. Why would He ever desire my silence in 2020 or even 2021, for that matter, when there was SO much to say?
Surprise, surprise. God’s ways are not my ways. His way is generally the more narrow, unpopular way. How was I supposed to navigate this new terrain of being silent, and how would I know when to speak the truth boldly?
The answer became clear through the life of a Jewish beauty queen turned queen of Persia—the story of Esther.
When faced with a detestable injustice, she made noise, ruffled feathers, and spoke her mind pointedly and candidly for the social media world to hear! Or not.
Her boldness and fight for what was right included a recipe of… well, an actual recipe: two dinners and three meetings, to be precise.
Esther didn’t break into the king’s throne room with guns blazing but instead eased her way into the king’s good graces with gentle patience and quiet determination. Only then did she make her move. She spoke directly to the king, the one who could get the job done right in her enemy’s presence.
She was smart.
She was slow to speak.
She was prayed up.
She was ready.
So, what can we learn from Esther’s bold move? I believe she represents the right way to speak well when the time is right.
Here are a few questions we should ask ourselves before we speak up on any platform:
Is what I’m posting/saying stated so that anybody’s mind would be changed… or paused to consider the other side? Helpful tip: insulting those who think or believe differently than you is probably not the best way to approach the topic. Just sayin’.
Is what I’m posting/speaking about demonstrating love for my neighbor as myself? If I’m not speaking out of true, deep-in-my-soul love for my neighbor who thinks/acts/believes differently than I do, it probably doesn’t need to be said just yet. Mark 12:30-31 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. There is no other command greater than these.
Have I prayed over my posts/words before letting them loose? You would think this would be a given. But sadly, I’m often the first to forget to do so. Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
Who do my words point people to… my ideals/my opinions/my thoughts, OR God Himself? Whew. This is a tough one. Sadly, mySELF shows up a bit too much!
Friends, sometimes we need to quiet our voices so that THE voice can be heard. How can anyone hear the Holy Spirit if we distract them with all our noise?
Let me lay out my disclaimer here in my best, nearly run-on sentence form. If you have followed Esther's recipe, asked yourself these questions, and waited for God to fill you and tell you to speak, then you better SPEAK. The problem is that too many of us talk when it’s not our turn.
There is an occasion for everything,
and a time for every activity under heaven:
a time to give birth and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to uproot;
a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to tear down and a time to build;
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;
a time to search and a time to count as lost;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to be silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.
-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Friend, let’s use wisdom in determining what season God is calling us to—a time to speak or a time to be silent. Discretion is necessary.
