As the world watches the situation in Iran continue to unfold, there are many opinions circulating about the recent election where Mahmoud Ahamadenijad claimed a disputed victory over Mir Hossein Mousavi. Even before the election officially closed, groups of Mousavi supporters began to rally to dispute the results, stating that Ahmadenijad had stolen the office of President of Iran. Reports surfaced of voter fraud, early poll closings, and ballot stuffing.
When word came that the election was indeed called for Ahmadenijad, the world watched and for the most part was silent. But for a group of Iranians, silence was not an option. They began to organize, to protest, and to march against great opposition and scrutiny by their government and the ayatollah, the head religious leader. The voters of Iran wanted all the votes counted and their voices heard. They refused to succumb to pressure and intimidation, even in the face of horrible violence and threats. People all over the world began to take notice. In a country where all media coverage was suspended and dictated, new technologies were used to capture the heart of the opposition and their demonstrations. While I was disturbed by the amount of violence and force the government used to quell the demonstrations, at the same time I looked at the people of Iran and felt proud for them. Many of them, for the first time in their life, used this opportunity to exercise free speech.
I read about men and women being beaten and jailed, most likely never to be heard from again, all to support something they believed in. All because they wanted to see a difference made. All because they knew that even one person voicing his or her opinion can make a difference for a cause you believe in. What astonished me most were the clerics, the religious leaders, who joined the protestors to voice their opposition. This was especially gripping because the ayatollah had forbidden any protestors from demonstrating in a very direct mandate.
I couldn't help but recognize that most of the protestors are of our generation. They are a group who is passionate and determined. They used social media sites to inform the world when all other news outlets were silenced. They wanted their story told and knew the world would listen. They made a difference in their country and changed the way the world viewed the people of Iran. No longer were they faceless citizens of a feared regime. For the first time, we saw women who were fully clad in their burkas march in protest alongside men. They were people who had a vision of a better country and a better way of life.
So why should we care? What does all this mean for us? Some of us took notice of the events. We watched in awe and horror. We prayed. Some of us even showed our support on social networking sites by greening our profiles. But is that really all we can do?
Our response should be to take notice of their determination to their cause. As young people who will carry our nation and world into the next generation and—even more importantly—as Christians who hope to win the world for Him, recognizing that a group of people can change things when sold out to a cause is imperative. If you don't like something, you don't have to stay silent. You can act. Stand up for what your faith says, what you believe, and Whom you follow.
Action doesn't just mean talking either. I feel that, as Christians, we do a whole lot of talking. We don't like this candidate or this policy so we make sure it is known where we stand. We discuss the ethical issue associated with this situation or the theology of another. We update our facebook status to discuss political or theological issues. We twitter the links to our blogs where we talk about how we can be better people or change the world. What I don't see much of is us actually doing something.
One of the best representations of the Iranian protest I saw was the green tape. One small strip of tape across a protestor's mouth spoke volumes. They may be momentarily silenced, but together they stood to make their point. And their point was made. There is power in action of the like-minded. We, especially as believers, should take notice. These small protests eventually turned into massive marches, some led by their own religious leaders, all the while risking their lives, their families, and their freedom. Were regimes changed? Not yet. But did they step up and take notice? Absolutely. Do you think they will forget the power of their people any time soon? Absolutely not. The marches and demonstrations on Iran started small but grew to encompass tens of thousands.
Action is imperative in everything we do, especially when it comes to changing our world for Jesus Christ. Action. Getting involved. Volunteering. Making a difference in your community, your church, and your world. As believers, we should find what we are passionate about and channel our gifts and talents for the cause to make our time on earth more worthwhile. We should get out of our comfort zones, our small groups, our Sunday School classes to actually make a difference in the world we are living in. If only we as Christians felt as passionate about our cause to change this world for God, what could we do? We could feed many hungry. Help many single parents. Raise money for many great causes. Be role models for kids who need someone. We could actually make the world stand up and take notice that Christians actually care about people and the world we live in. For our generation, it is time to take action because the rest of the world is, and our Cause is the greatest.