Enough is Enough!
God's grace is evident in so many areas of our lives.
However, some situations seem to be so utterly devastating that we cannot help but ask: where is God and why does God not intervene?
The pain and evil evident in the many attacks against women in our country is overwhelmingly traumatic.
South Africa is hurting. She is wounded in unison with her daughters who bleed on her streets. She is crying out for deliverance.
Why can't our mothers rest assured that their daughters are safe, even at school? Why can't our sisters leave their houses without fear for their lives? Why do men feel entitled to women's sacred bodies?
Now is not the time to be silent. Now is not the time to pretend that everything is fine. Now is not the time to presume that the situation is going to fix itself.
Now is the time to mourn for our women. Now is the time to remember those who have been brutally murdered. Now is the time to listen and stand in solidarity with those who have survived rape and gender-based violence. Now is the time to speak up. Now is the time to fight for justice in every way that we can.
Enough is enough. The time has come for action.
By all means, let us have our prayer vigils and silent protests but let us not sit by in silence while our sisters, daughters and mothers are crying out in anguish. If our prayers are not moving us to action, they are shallow and insulting to God.
A Lament
God, where are you in this hurt? What have your people done to deserve this pain? Our women face death all day long; they are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. Awake, oh Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever. Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression? Our women are brought down to the dust; their bodies cling to the ground.
Oh God, we need Your intervention!
Intervene like you did for your daughters Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Mary. Rise up and help us; rescue us because of your unfailing love. May Your justice come and take over this land in Jesus' name.
So what action can be taken?
ReplyDeleteIt's a tough one that's for sure... I intentionally chose not to give suggestions because I don't think there is one answer for every situation.
DeletePersonally, I would say it begins with education. Actively teaching men (especially young men) how to treat/stand up for women. Furthermore, listening to the women around us is so important, understanding their struggles and fears and listening to how we can assist them.
Second, I think men need to speak up against our Male friends and family who make misogynistic comments whether in jest or in seriousness. This is an especially tough one because we have all been there and we all have those friends that are not intentionally trying to cause trouble but the underlying message that they are perpetuating is hurtful.
Third, raising awareness is probably one of the easier things to do. Support our women on social media, join protests, share messages of love and support.
Fourth, letting women speak for themselves. So often us men try to pretend like we know what needs to be said and we silence women by speaking on their behalf. We need to give women a platform to speak and allow them to say what needs to be said without telling them how to say it. We need to encourage women to share their stories of facing sexual harrassment because there is still a stigma behind sexual assault and a fear that they will be silenced if they speak up.
There are probably many more that I'm not thinking of now but men need to take up the responsibility themselves in order to discern what they can personally do to support and protect the women in their communities.