In the Soul Matters packet for this month’s theme of Resistance, Rev. Scott Tayler wrote, “None of us resist alone. Or maybe what really needs to be said this month is that none of us have to resist alone. Each and every path of resistance is daunting. But they are made even more daunting when we tell ourselves that we must travel those paths by ourselves.”
For me, resistance begins as a small “no” inside that grows as my understanding of a situation increases and my courage gathers. This applies to both personal and societal conditions that are just plain wrong. The small “no” that grows in conviction until it is spoken, sometimes at great risk and in a loud roar. Have you felt it in yourself? Have you heard yourself say it out loud? I’m thinking of women suffering sexual harassment at their job, individuals suffering abuse in their families, boys required to learn the way of violence to fit in as men, transgender people having their rights legally removed, Black Indigenous People of Color navigating a thicket of microaggressions daily. At some point, we feel our “no” rise.
If you are feeling a small “no” rise in yourself, try saying it to someone you trust to gain support. We don’t have to resist alone. Practicing resistance with people we trust clarifies and emboldens us. For when we heed the call of the “no” inside, we are simultaneously saying “yes” to our sacred worth and dignity.
Yours,
Rev. Dena McPhetres, Associate Minister