I’m struggling to find words for this, but I’ve seen comments that people’s silence speaks volumes… so I’m going to say this in the only way I know how to right now. If I’m quiet, it’s because I’m trying to listen, trying to learn, trying to understand how to help. It’s not that I don’t care; I care so much about your lives.

Black lives matter. Innocent lives ought to be protected, and those who are unfairly treated need to be defended. I wish I knew the right words to express it. I don’t have the right words right now.

Friends, I don’t have anywhere near the understanding I wish I did, and I know the views and information fighting for our attention are overwhelming. Part of becoming free from and learning to think outside of that weight, though, is to recognize that there are less-than-noble agendas out there, and there always will be as long as we live in a world affected by sin. But there is also truth, and we can learn to seek the truth amidst the chaos and stand up for justice. There are real stories from real people who are feeling real pain, and we can’t allow the overload and confusion to keep the truth from breaking through.

People have been under a lot of pressure the past few months. Many people are on edge, and this is a serious topic where people are coming to the table from so many different backgrounds.

What the past few months have also taught us though is that we need each other. We need real conversation, we need to stand with one another, we need to remind each other of the hope we have when life becomes overwhelming. Many people are angry, many people are scared, many people are sad, many people are exhausted and feeling beat up. We need to be there for each other. Can we do it together?

Christian friends, let’s choose love. A love that listens, a love that is shown in both word and deed, a love that is willing to admit there is so much we don’t know, a love that looks at people and cares about their pain. A love that learns how to stand firm for what is right. True love is honest, and it is marked by lifting burdens, not making them heavier. True love protects, true love covers, true love isn’t fragile.

If you are in a place where you are able to respond to people with grace, please make every effort to do so. On the other side of every comment, every person who sees your messages, is someone who is facing their battles. And even as social distancing begins to loosen up, many people still feel like they are fighting those battles alone.

Please know silence on social media doesn’t necessarily mean complete silence. That quiet person may be trying to come together and learn with people outside of social media platforms. But even so, I pray that those of us who are quiet, worn out, or at a loss for words would know how to better be there for people who are hurting right now. To those of you who have been able to speak up with the truth in love, thank you for putting it into words.

If your heart and mind are weary from the past few months, don’t beat yourself up. No, injustice doesn’t pause for breaks, but we are part of one Body – a Body that needs each other and has been created to work together. To those of you who are strong right now, please keep pushing ahead. To those of us who are weak, we can still learn and speak with the people in our lives as we look to God for renewed strength.

In both cases, we turn to God for direction. He loves people so much, He died to save us and pursues us still. He will teach us what to do. Working together, bearing with one another, standing with one another, seeking God together, we can have the stamina needed for the long haul.

Here’s to our journey.