There will come a time when I must join with others and live the protest I march. Integrity will demand that I live the sermon I preach and the social media posts I write. It won’t be perfect. It surely won’t be enough. But it will be something. It will be more than a momentary effort or meaningful word in a status. It will be an embodied commitment to faithful presence and active participation. 

By God’s grace, faithfulness must be my witness. 

The same is true for all of us. 

Anyone can sit in the cheap seats. It takes courage and grit to step into the arena. If you do expect to get your hind-parts kicked.

When that happens expect to hear from the ones sitting in the cheap seats. Discern their words humbly and wisely with those beside you in the arena. But don’t forget they chose the cheap seats. You chose the arena. Stay put and do the work, the gritty, costly, weary, hard, beautiful work. And don’t do it alone. 

Faithfulness will be your witness and God’s faithfulness will be your strength.