Ephesians 5:11 tells us to having nothing to do with the deeds of darkness but to reprove and expose them. Thus, it is not a virtuous act to experience an injustice and let it continue without seeking help or assistance. We need to be (and teach our children to be) people who place a high premium on justice. God’s law is an objective one and we should address instances when we have been victims of injustice.
I used to instruct my children that although God’s law is most often expressed in the negative, e.g. “Thou shalt not steal,” it also conveys the idea none should be silent or approving when someone is stealing from them. Of course, in a society that fails to put God’s laws and their penalties into force, it is all too easy to just endure injustice rather than combat it. Infractions against us, in truth, are not primarily against us. When one of God’s laws is broken, the offense is first and foremost against Him. That is why it is the responsibility of the person sinned against to seek remedy and not perpetuate the offense (against himself or others) by keeping silent. Anything less leaves doubt that one wasn’t victimized but acted in cooperation.
Sadly, there are many “safe” books (ones without foul language, or sexual situations, etc.) that are widely read among young Christian boys and girls that promote the idea of suffering in silence, and elevate such behavior as truly trusting in and being faithful to God. It doesn’t take much of an Internet search to discover how many felt wrongly instructed by books such as the Elsie Dinsmore series, and how much they resent the “bad advice” they embraced as a result of reading them. One person noted,
Those books taught me that true godliness was suffering in silence. They taught me that the harshest abuse could be overcome by submitting to God. That cruel, powerful people would eventually become kind if you just gave them more power over you … That God would eventually bring a glorious happy ending to an abusive relationship if you buckled down, numbed/denied/renamed your emotions, [and] guilted yourself for the tiniest rebellion …
This is not the message we want to give our children, and we must be diligent to discuss with them the things they read and flesh out incorrect ideas and conclusions that come from identifying with the hero or heroine of the story.
If we want to see an end to the various injustices that surround us, we must trust that bringing sin out into the open is the correct thing to do. Even though it may feel like one is swimming upstream, the reality is that we must act on principle if we wish to see the tide turned in this regard. And, we need to be found faithfully on the Lord’s side when it comes to infractions of His law. His Word tells us, “For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light” (Luke 8:17). As His people, our responsibility is to be a witness to His justice (righteousness), and settle for nothing less.
This is how a Christian society is built!
The Kingdom-Driven Family 