a note to Christ followers: listen for the beating heart

dear fellow Christ Followers:
unless you are deaf
or unable to read
or totally have your head buried (somewhere)
it is impossible to miss the people screaming in outrage over 
social injustice(s)
slights- real or perceived
laws being passed
        or not passed
"rights"
        or the lack of them
abortion
the wall
and any number of other issues

shhhhhhh
take a minute to be quiet
in the midst of the cacophony
listen
do you hear what I hear

hearts breaking

people's hearts breaking
           over losses, some they face silently
           over problems that seem insurmountable
           over addictions
           over unwise decisions

people cowering,
            afraid to speak out
            frightened to be honest
            longing for a chance to turn back time and make a different choice
            because our words tell them loud and clear
                     exactly what we will think of them 
                              if we learn their secret

God's heart breaking
            for the people who are hurting 
                   those who know Him
                         those who are searching for Him
                                    and those who have no interest in Him
           for the people who say they know Him 
                    but show no mercy
                                       no grace
                                            no forgiveness
                                                  and have forgotten the power of love

I am not advocating that Christ followers be silent when there are things they feel strongly about. I am not saying we should not speak up and protest things that are wrong, things that are evil, things that need to be changed.

I am advocating that as followers of Christ we stop 
and think
and pray before we speak 
                    for open hearts
                    for clean hearts
                    for hearts filled with love
                    for an attitude and tone of voice that honors God
                    for a strong word, yes,
                          but one that is delivered firmly, 
                                        not harshly  
                   for words of hope and reconciliation 
                   for words of forgiveness and love

may we, who are given the work of reconciliation, who are called to be Ambassadors for Christ, not get caught up in emotion and lose sight of eternity

for example:
yes, abortion stops a beating heart-
but there are other hearts left still beating 
and if are not careful with our words and the way we speak them,
those hearts that are left beating-
the mothers
the fathers
the grandparents
the health care workers
they will not hear anything but confirmation 
             of the devil's whispers and lies
                   that Christ followers are hatemongers

no, we cannot afford to be silent
but we also cannot afford to speak words that stop beating hearts
from being open to hearing the truth about the heart of God
nor can we afford to shame or cause a sister or brother to lose heart
if the sins we are so vehemently opposing were part of their old life
     
"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man  someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." 
Romans 5:6-8

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 
2 Corinthians 5:17-21