Quiet Strength

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Today is the day in history that Rosa Parks was arrested and charged with being guilty of civil disobedience after she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. She was taken down to the police station where they took her mugshot and fingerprinted her and treated her like every other criminal in the place. They were within their bounds. The fact was, she was guilty of something that should never have been considered "wrong" in the first place.

She didn't resist. She didn't argue. She didn't fight back. She sat. Then, when the officers came, she stood so they could arrest her. And after that, she continued to fight for justice.

She didn't give up.

I've admired this woman ever since I read about her story in social studies sometime during elementary school. As I grew older, I wrote papers about her life and legacy every chance I got. There's something to be said about standing strong in the face of being charged with being guilty of something that was never wrong in the first place.

I was impressed by what I would later recognize as her quiet strength. It's easy not to stand up to authorities, especially when "the law" is on their side. It's easier to endure suffering than it is to do whatever it takes to bring about change. Confrontation is horrible and costs more than most of us are willing to pay.

And yet...If we give up, we'll only have to keep giving up.

Yesterday morning, I read Psalm 13 and I was reminded of some words that I'm going to keep coming back to for a good long while,

"But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation." 

  Psalm 13:5     

No mater what charge is brought against us, no matter how alone we might feel or be, if we are called by God's name, His banner is over us. His steadfast love is ours and we can trust in it. We are saved to the uttermost and our hearts can rejoice. 

Whether it's giving up a seat on a bus because of the color of our skin, a call to submit because of our gender, a command to be silent because of our beliefs, or something else entirely, we've got to be sure of what's right and willing to stand firm in that belief. Whatever it takes. Whatever the consequences may be. 

God has gone before us and He goes with us. We may be tired, but we don't have to give up.