If MY people who are called...

It's amazing what we are capable of... what a person can tolerate, both mentally and physically. I don't think we really know our limits until we're pushed. Until circumstances are beyond our control. Until we have no choice but to look for something within us that we didn't know was there. I know for me, like for many victims, it was a matter of choosing between life and death. Fear ruled my world. Fear. Everywhere.

Victims are manipulated by fear. They are silenced by fear. They go about their daily lives smiling to those that need a smile, while living in the hell that someone else created. They are afraid to speak the truth, their truth, for fear of the consequences that might await them. They stay silent to protect their children, to protect themselves, and to keep whatever version of normal as to not ripple the water.

And though I call myself a survivor and have dealt with my past, I am feeling a familiar fear that I do not care for. I have caught myself staying silent in the presence of certain people, not wanting to ripple the water. Smiling, while holding my tongue. And I wonder how many of God’s people are feeling the same pressure. How many of us are choosing to stay silent to protect our families, to protect ourselves. How many of God’s people are afraid to speak the truth for fear of the consequences?

Our country has put us in a position to make us feel like we have to pick a side. And if we pick the wrong side, we stand condemned. I no longer think it’s about picking a side. I think it’s about choosing between right and wrong. Are we going to do this man’s way or God’s way?

There’s only one way to do it God’s way... on our knees.

As I look back on 2020, I see so many things, both personally and in our world. Personally, I know God has moved mountains in my life. He has shown me a path I thought I could never take. And now, not only am I walking it, but He is walking right beside me. It’s not always easy, but when I stumble, He is there to pick me up. And I know I'm not walking it alone.

I wish our world could see something similar. We have gone through a tough and tragic year. A victim is a victim, no matter who your abuser is. Our world is filled with victims. You don't have to be beaten by your husband or raped by a previous intimate partner to know the pain and trauma of violence. Our world is filled with evil that even our imagination cannot comprehend. And with every evil that emerges, there are victims… more and more victims.

I could choose to see the negative - there is plenty of it - but that's not what I'm walking into the new year with. What I see is God at work. I see God's people with a voice. And those that are normally reserved and quiet now know that they are not alone. This country is filled with God's people. Fear is the great manipulator and nothing empowers and validates a person more than a voice.

I would never even try to guess what God has in store for us or what His plan is, but I do know that He is the ultimate Healer. And no matter who the abuser is, Jesus is the answer. We cannot let fear silence us. More than ever, we need to let each other know that we stand together as one – as God’s people – to stand for what we know is right and not be silent.

We now know there are millions of believers. We are not a small group. But we have been told we are weak, we are few. We have been manipulated into a closet – a silent closet. And we hold the truth like we hold our tongue. Well, I, for one, will stay silent no longer. I will speak and give voice to the truth. I will no longer let fear keep me silent like it did in the past. And as more speak, our voice will grow louder, until those that live in fear, will fear no more.

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.