Reflection: Have you ever had your voice stolen? Perhaps you’ve felt so powerless you couldn’t defend yourself, or even if you did, it was met with silence, manipulation, or abuse.
In Australia today, hundreds of thousands of people are in situations that are unsafe and every day we have an opportunity to do something about it.
Years ago, actor Matthew McConaughey spoke on the 2022 mass shooting at his hometown’s primary school in Texas. His passion for the lives lost caused ripples of change and hope throughout the United States*. This was a great example of someone in a place of influence and power who chose to be the voice of those who could not speak. In fact, Jesus was also an incredible advocate for those who could not defend themselves; for instance, in the account of the woman caught in adultery in John chapter 8.
Is there a person, cause or injustice that is stirring in your heart? First of all, pray about the situation. Second, ask yourself what you can do in a way that is honouring and sensitive. Then use your words to bring freedom and life at the right time, in the right way.
Prayer: Lord God, with so much strife in the world today, help me to use my influence to bring light into the darkness. Give me courage and give me the wisdom to channel my words in the right way. Help me to make things better with my passion for justice and not more complicated in my haste to speak.
*following his speech at the White House in June 2022, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) — the first major federal gun safety legislation in decades.