"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter" – Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
Silence is often linked to contemplation, meditation, and peace. However, silence is a betrayal when truth is neutralised, invalidated, or misaligned.
There is retribution if you speak. Feared consequences. The shame of a dark knowledge that entombs disclosure in sealed vaults of secret experiences.
Parental control. Community culture. Organisational reputation trumps the loss of innocence. Silence in spaces that were deemed safe.
Silence becomes betrayal when the rumours fly, but the facts are crippled through denial, muzzled through authority, and dismissed over time.
Today, let our silence be the balm that meshes the souls of the hurting with the ears of the listeners.
Let our silence allow the hurting to give voice to their pain and suffering without opinion, drama and gossip.
Let our silence sit in open spaces of truth so that healing can start, restoration can begin, and hope can flourish.
Prayer
Father, we have sinned.
Our desire to 'keep up appearances' blinded us to the value You place on every human being. We valued 'us' above 'them'.
In Your mercy, forgive us.
We found comfort in coming together week after week in worship and fellowship but denied You by betraying 'them'.
In Your mercy, forgive us.
We have been slow to act but quick to gossip. Sluggish in deliberation, speedy in response.
In Your mercy, forgive us.
Guide our thoughts, words, and actions to become conduits of peace in a world filled with darkness.
May we wave the banner of justice and truth boldly.
May we stand up for the rights of the vulnerable, the weak and the distressed.
May we, by our actions, live out our God-given purpose of being ambassadors for You.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory.
Amen