Standing in Front

Recently, I met with a friend and our talk shifted into deep thoughts, thoughts that made me pause.  Our conversations circled the response that we have to all that is going on in our world especially with the current political landscape. My friend said a sentence that made me stop and think.

We should be standing in front of the people throwing rocks.

I think where we stand when the marginalized are being attacked is a defining statement of who we are. What does it mean to stand in front of the people throwing rocks? For most people the picture that comes to mind is of the woman who was caught in the act of adultery and people picked up rocks with the intent to kill. Jesus stood in front of the mob and spoke words that were intended to make people be self-reflective and one by one the rocks were dropped. Standing in front means willing to take a blow instead of allowing it to land on the victim. Protecting them. 

I know standing in front comes with a cost. Friendships lost. Hard conversations with family. Digging in and digging deep. I don’t regret a moment of putting myself in front of the blows. Of saying the truth that came with a big price tag. I hope it softened the words, so the rock that hoped to kill leaves only a bruise. 

Yet, in truth there are times I stand in the shadows. Not standing in front of the people throwing rocks but off to the side like a spectator. I am not throwing the rocks, but my silence gives power to those who do. Being willing to risk saying I am an ally for LGTBQIA+, or that Black Lives Matter means I stand in front of the people throwing rocks. 

There are moments I’m afraid of loss, I’m afraid of hate. But I want to be a brave person, a person who stands with the people who are rejected, the hated, the marginalized. I know it isn’t a grand gesture, waving my arms and yelling loudly. It is standing firm, even if I’m shaking, standing firm, even if I’m afraid. Standing firm for what is right. Standing in front of the people throwing rocks.