The call goes out to humanity to speak up when they see something. It is an ancient principle of preservation and protection–a divine code of relationship given to the people of God and their leaders, as written throughout the Bible. It is well known that the people of God have a responsibility to look out for the well-being of their brothers or sisters in God’s family. When warning signs of any danger are evident, we are commanded to speak up.
Too often, people hear or see something disturbing, and they say, “I knew something was happening, but it wasn’t my place to say anything about what I was witnessing. It didn’t affect me, so why should I say anything?” The lack of care and concern is what allows evil to succeed. You don’t have to make yourself a target because you see something happening, but you do need to report what you see.
It is vital to any thriving society that people speak out when they see something alarming. For example, mistreatment of any person should never be tolerated. There are instances when we experience discomfort in reporting what we have observed to the appropriate authority, yet it remains essential to do so.
If you see someone violating a person’s rights, you need to speak up. If you see danger along the highway, you need to report it. If you see an injured animal, you should take steps to make sure it gets the help it needs. I recently observed an accumulation of trash along Illinois Ave. entering Oak Ridge. Out of love for my hometown, I reported it. Keeping our community clean is a responsibility we all share.
The book of Hebrews provides some perspective about seeing something that is amiss. It says that God holds leaders accountable for watching over their people. But it explains this oversight should be done “with joy, not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to us.”
The legendary Civil Rights leader John Lewis said, “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something, you have to do something.” It’s paramount that we speak up when we something wrong. It benefits all of us and makes our world a better place. So, Never Give Up! Never Give Up! Never Give Up!
By Dr. Walter Ghosten
chaplain@lhp.net
