Shut up and speak

"You don't always have to say everything that's true, but you do have to say the truth whenever you speak."

A friend said this to me this week and I felt at once convicted and encouraged.

Most of my life I've struggled to know when it's best to hold my tongue. I love the truth, I love justice, and I love Jesus. I want others to hear the truth that God has given me. But I haven't always been discerning in when or how to share it--and at times I've been prideful, seeking to make myself look smart at the expense of others. I admit that I have somewhat of an addiction to being right.

This has led me to believe that in many cases, it's better for me to stay silent and listen rather than speak out of a desire to convince others (doing this habitually is a challenge, and I'm very grateful to those who have put up with me while I'm learning). Knowing the truth and knowing when it needs to be spoken are two distinct things.

But recently, things have felt more complex and harder to ignore than I would like them to. I've been pulled in multiple directions, eager to put my neck on the line and damn the consequences, but convicted not to always just follow my instincts. No doubt this is partly due to my recent re-entry into the Twitter community, but I also think the Holy Spirit is to blame. Somehow I've found myself reading the books of Ezekiel, Hosea, and Isaiah all at the same time over the past months, and I do not think that's an accident. God is telling me something, something about Himself and what His vision is for my life. 

These three great prophets were proclaimers of truth. They embraced the pain of alienation from the world. God encouraged them to speak boldly and fearlessly and recklessly--but He also commanded them to wait for His signal. In Ezekiel 3, God tells Ezekiel that he will be unable to speak until God loosens his tongue to proclaim the message he's been given. Ezekiel--a fiery and, it would seem, hot-headed individual, much like myself--has no choice but to surrender to God's authority and timing. He literally can't speak unless the words he's speaking are from God.

Lately I've been anxious to speak. Anxious because the world is so desperate for truth, and because so many of us seem resigned to silence. Resigned to letting lies wash over us. Resigned to resignation.

The common refrain of Christians goes, "it's not worth it."

Not worth it to risk a fight, to alienate friends or coworkers, not worth it to get canceled or censured or silenced. So we silence ourselves, as if that's any better than someone else doing it to us. 

If you're a Christian, wondering how to make a difference in this divided world, I just want to encourage you: you don't always have to keep quiet. Shutting up has its place, but when we start shutting up to keep ourselves or others comfortable, we've left the territory of righteousness and entered the realm of cowardice.

I certainly agree, up to a certain point, that if what you have to say is motivated by pride or selfish anger or vengeance or spite or a need for attention, it isn't worth it. God calls us to self-examination and restraint more often than he calls us to battle--just look at Ezekiel. But if what you have to say is simply the truth, and someone needs to hear it, it's more than worth it. It's worth the conflict. It's even worth alienating friends. Because when a person feels assaulted by the truth, it is not the speaker's fault. And sometimes friends, neighbors, even strangers, need us to speak the uncomfortable truths they may not want to hear.

Knowing when to do this is tricky, and none of us will ever be perfect at it. You have to be steeped in God's word, drowned in prayer. You have to be attuned to His voice so that you can learn to distinguish between the words of God and the words of your own selfish heart. Before you endeavor to teach anyone, you must submit to being taught yourself.

And when the Spirit moves you, speak--and when you speak, be ready for what you say to spark a response. Be eager to engage, to listen, to respond to conviction. Be slow to rebuke, but courageous to do the will of God. Be driven by passion and tempered by grace. Be firm and fair and forgiving. 

These are God's words for you and me, right now, in every space we enter, digital or otherwise. If you're listening to God, He will often shut your mouth for you, like He did for Ezekiel. But when you do speak, your words will be all the more powerful for being spoken on God's authority.