Most people know of the Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faith, and their supernatural trust. But for those who don't, here's a quick recap: they had been exiled from their homeland to Babylon. And Nebudchadnezzar, the (then) king of Babylon built a gigantic (90 feet high and 90 feet wide) gold statue, which he insisted that everyone had to bow down to at the sound of a trumpet. The failure to do so would result in a fiery consequence, literally. Now, these trumpet sounded, and these gentlemen refused to bow down. Somehow the king caught wind of this and gave them a second chance. They responded by saying they just couldn't do it, and further added that should he (the king) still decide to throw them into a burning furnace, their God was capable of delivering them. But even if their God wouldn't deliver them, they still wouldn't bow down. Now, that's an unshakable, resolute, defiant faith and trust. That's admirable. These were men of very strong convictions: earlier on they had refused to be defiled by the king's food. Although these men were in a strange land, they had made up their minds to not conform or completely ignore everything they were raised with. Again, admirable.
While these men were heroic, to say the least; while their faith in God is admirable and a lesson for everyone; what's just as important was their quiet revolution. See, these men could have rained criticisms on the king. They could have blasted all the leaders and told them to go to blazes. They could have listed the laws of Moses from now till eternity. Heck, they could have reminded the king that he and his entire subjects were going straight to HELL. They could have chided the other jews who ignored their convictions and cowered in fear of the bully aka the king. But they chose not to. They chose instead for a quiet revolution. Indeed, sometimes the loudest voice in the room is most stupid voice. Sometimes wisdom is highly paramount in getting your message across. Sometimes the most quiet person isn't the weakest.
They made their points without fighting, without vile and/or hatred. It was simple; they stated their principles and convictions, and left it at that. Although they were ready to die for these convictions, they didn't turn hostile, or violent, or make noise, or start hashtags, or start social media wars. In fact, they didn't say anything about the act of bowing down to gods being bad (even though it was). They just laid out their principles and beliefs.
Isn't that unlike the world we currently live in?
People are so unnerved about the slightest thing. Forgetting that sometimes, you have to lose a battle to win the war. Sometimes, a quiet revolution is prudent. Sometimes hostility and loud destructive protests are not the solution. It's like we have now become disturbingly predictable. So much that to incite a certain kind of response, certain people know exactly what to say. They know exactly how to rile us, how to get us angry and talking, thereby giving them the attention they crave for. They know to say Christianity/religion is illogical, or there is no God, and on cue, we start to rant in rage. We start to desperately try to prove there is a God. As if the almighty needs a bunch of homo sapiens to fight for him. These people know how to make money off slandering a particular race or people, or color, or tribe, or religion. They know we always listen, AND respond to the vile coming out of their mouths.
Don't get me wrong, I love when people fight for what they believe in. I am very opinionated, and I HATE injustice. So trust me, if there's a budding hashtag somewhere making raves, I WILL add my two cents. I can't stand neutral people. I believe everyone should have convictions even if they are against popular opinion. I also believe that in a case of injustice, if you are quiet, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. Those are facts.
On the other hand, I dislike unnecessary conflict and hate. I don't like when we respond to hatred with more hatred; makes no sense. But even more, I am definite that a good warrior knows when to retreat. I say warrior because I am aware that silence isn't always the best answer; you have to speak out in rage, sometimes. It is indeed a war, sometimes. But like Yoruba people say if a warrior just keeps on fighting without ever retreating, chances are that the warrior would perish with the war.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not just win the battle against Nebudchadnezzar, they won the war. Because of their quiet revolution; because of their principles and convictions; the king made a decree that no one in the land should dare say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Because of these three men and their actions, people came to know their God. That, right there is victory.
So the next time you're fighting for a cause, remember that a quiet revolution may be just as efficient as a loud (or hostile) one.
Love,
I
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HAY!Ifeoluwa this hit all the right notes.Such a beautiful reminder that less is indeed more sometimes
ReplyDeleteThanks love, for stopping by :-)
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