Sitting on the Fence

One of the most famous verses in the Old Testament is found in Joshua.

“Choose you this day, whom you will serve” Joshua 24:15

Joshua was at the end of his life and giving his last commission to the Children of Israel. If you read the responses of the Children of Israel after Joshua makes his famous statement, they all affirm that they committed to God. However, we know in the stories that follow, they did not.

Issues of loyalty, issues of not standing up for what was right, and remaining silent when they should have spoken up were many of the symptoms we read about the Children of Israel.

Fast forward to the year 2020. Are we sitting on the fence? Are we committed to standing up for God? Are we committed to standing up for what is right? Are we committed to say things to support others?

Is sitting on the fence or being neutral a characteristic of God? If we look at the life of Jesus, we know that it is not. Jesus was not neutral. He spoke up for the Kingdom of God even through it was contrary to the norm in their society.

Lately I have realized the importance of standing up for what is right and publicly supporting others who are right. One of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr most powerful statements was “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

My prayer is that we get off the fence and stand for the things that matter. I'm not referring to things like wearing masks, opening church or socially distancing. I'm talking about standing and supporting those that need our support.