What are we to do when others mock what we know is the right thing to
do? What are we to do when people with authority tell us to do what we
know is wrong?
In his book _Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed_, Philip Hallie writes of the
little village of Le Chambon in France, whose citizens took the valiant
and dangerous step of hiding Jewish neighbors from the Nazis during the
Second World War. William Willimon summarizes, “Hallie went there,
wondering what sort of courageous, ethical heroes could risk all to do
such extraordinary good. He interviewed people in the village and was
overwhelmed by their _ordinariness_. They weren’t heroes or smart,
discerning people. Hallie decided that the one factor that united them
was their attendance, Sunday after Sunday, at their little church, where
they heard the sermons of Pastor Trochme. Over time, they became by
habit people who just knew what to do and did it. When it came time for
them to be courageous, the day the Nazis came to town, they quietly did
what was right. One old woman, who faked a heart attack when the Nazis
came to search her house, later said, ‘Pastor always taught us that
there comes a time in every life when a person is asked to do something
for Jesus. When our time came, we knew what to do.’”
How will you and I respond when choices arise for us to do what is just
and right even in the face of danger, or when others oppose us, or when
people in positions of authority ask us to do what is wrong?
Proverbs 21:3 counsels us, “To do righteousness and justice is more
acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice (religious duties).”
James 4:17 stresses, “Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do
and fails to do it, commits sin.”
Motivational speaker Shree Shambav expresses it well: “Doing the right
thing is not a matter of convenience; it reflects your values and
integrity.”
Let us endeavor to do what is right in all circumstances.