You Don't Say

At the end of a recently completed CPR certification class, the instructor said, "with this training, you will now be held responsible if you are in a situation where medical assistance is needed and you do nothing." Suddenly I imagined coming upon one of the terrible scenes we had been discussing. I'm standing there with my hands in my pockets waiting for someone else to take action, knowing all the while exactly what needs to be done.

Although it may seem like a no-brainer, it got me thinking about the responsibility that goes along with knowledge and how many of us try to blend in with the crowd when we are equipped to make a difference.

Interestingly, new data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows that in 2010, only 27.3 percent of college graduates actually held jobs that were related to their majors.

Why would we do that? Why would we go through the time, expense and effort of learning something without putting it to use? I submit that we all are guilty of this more than we care to admit.

For instance, I was at a dinner with several friends and we were talking about dating. One woman said that there was a man who she was very attracted to and that they had so much in common except for one thing: he was too judgmental. She defined him as a "radical Christian fundamentalist" who expected her to attend church with him and when she said she wasn't interested, it was a deal breaker. 

I said not one word in his defense. Perhaps this man is like me, wanting to share the things that mean the most in his life with someone he loves - and what appears as judging her is exactly the opposite. Why didn't I at least suggest this to her?

Martin Luther said, "you are not only responsible for what you say, but for what you don't say." Although there is a time and place for standing up for what we know to be true and we must be discerning about that, I am convicted that too often I hold my tongue when I shouldn't. 

If we are students of God's Word, we are responsible for what we glean. Freely we have been given, and freely we are to give - not just financially but the most valuable asset of all: knowledge. We are spiritual paramedics, trained by the Great Physician Himself, and we have the cure for dying world riddled with sin.

As Peter wrote, "always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." (1 Peter 3:15). Amy Grant wrote a song called "Fat Baby", reflecting how we feast on the Scriptures while neglecting the starving world around us.

If we open our eyes, we would likely find more opportunities to show and share God's love than we can imagine!