Now, I’m not one to stir pots unless I’m makin’ chili. But lately, things in town had been about ready to boil over.
Turns out the school library had been carryin’ books that didn’t belong anywhere near kids. These books had stuff in ’em so nasty a person would get fired for readin’ it out loud at their job, but somehow folks think it’s right for kids.
Brenda came home fumin’ after one of her meetings at work. She shared some concerns she had about these books and got told to stay in her lane.
Well, next thing you know, parents all over town were speakin’ up, and the school board was shuttin’ them down one by one. So I told Brenda I thought it might be a good idea for me to go to the next school board meetin’.
“You gonna speak?”
“No, ma’am. Just wanna listen.”
Brenda knows me better than that. She gave me a look that said, wear a clean shirt, just in case. So that’s what I did.
Well, the night finally came, and the place was packed. Seemed like the whole town was there, and they were concerned. Some of ’em stood up and read straight from the actual books. I heard things that night I wouldn’t say in a mechanic shop, much less a second-grade classroom.
Every time somebody spoke against the books, the board flat-out told ‘em they “didn’t understand the big picture.” Nobody on the board seemed too interested in helpin’ us understand what that big picture was, though.
I stayed quiet. Did pretty good, too, right up until one of the school board members leaned into the mic and said, “If people would just read these books in their full context, they’d see there’s no harm being done to our children. Maybe we’re all just being a little too sensitive.”
Before I knew it, I was standin’ up and walkin’ to the podium. I didn’t raise my voice. I just asked if I could tell them a story, and they said I could.
“Well, I got this neighbor Ronnie. Ronnie raises goats, and he ain’t too good at it, but he tries. A couple summers ago, Ronnie calls me over and says somethin’s been sneakin’ into his shed at night, eatin’ up all his feed. He figures it’s a possum, but he don’t wanna kill the thing. So he thinks, ‘Maybe if I set out a plate of scraps, it’ll eat those and leave my feed alone.’
“About a week later, Ronnie’s wife calls and asks if I can come over. Says Ronnie’s in the shed and he ain’t too happy. So I head over and find Ronnie standin’ right in the middle of it. The shed was tore up pretty good. He’s lookin’ around, sayin’ he never thought that possum would do that much damage.
“So I tell him, ‘Ronnie, when you leave the door cracked open and feed the thing, you can’t act surprised when it starts tearin’ stuff up.’”
The school board sat there quiet. They weren’t really followin’ what I was sayin’, so I kept goin’.
“You know, I’m just a bus driver and a barber. But if it’s true that what we feed our kids shapes their minds, then maybe we oughta quit invitin’ critters in and actin’ surprised when they tear up more than we figured they would.”
Then I sat down. Didn’t feel like there was anything more to say.
The board didn’t respond, and the meeting went on another twenty minutes or so. Then they voted and decided to pull the books.
On the way home, Brenda looked over at me and said, “You planned that, didn’t you, Emmett?”
“No, ma’am, I sure didn’t. I just figured a goat story might explain that big picture thing more than all that talk did.”
Sometimes I think folks hear a story better than they do an argument.
Deciphering Emmett
Emmett cared about what the children were being allowed to read. That concern is why he stood up and spoke. He explained why he believed the board was making the wrong decision, and he did it without losing his temper.
Our love for our neighbors is sometimes tested when one of them makes a decision that harms other people. It’s easy to be pleasant when nobody’s disagreeing with us. It’s different when we believe someone’s decision is causing harm.
Ephesians 5:11 tells Christians to expose the unfruitful deeds of darkness. That command applies beyond the church building. Like Emmett, we’ll encounter things people have approved of, perhaps for years, that are wrong. In this case, the school board’s approval of these books doesn’t mean they’re good for the children. We have to consider books in a library in light of what God has said in His Word.
Scripture holds us responsible for the way we speak. Emmett challenged the board’s decision without insulting the people on the board. He recognized that they were still made in the image of God, even while they defended a decision he believed was wrong.
Proverbs 25:15 says, “And a soft tongue breaks the bone.” A patient person will typically get a lot further than someone who’s constantly raising his voice. When we’re bothered by an issue, it’s easy to assume that people who aren’t as angry as we are don’t take it as seriously as we do. But volume doesn’t make an argument more persuasive. Sometimes it only makes our anger the most visible part of the conversation, and the concern we’re trying to raise gets lost.
Emmett used a familiar story to help the board understand his concern. The story he shared about his neighbor Ronnie gave them another way to consider what they were allowing and what might come of it. Emmett took the time to explain himself calmly. We should be willing to do that, too, instead of assuming everyone will see the problem the way we do.
That matters when we’re the ones speaking up. It matters when we’re the ones who need to hear a difficult word, too. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” A friend may tell us something we’d rather not hear because he cares about what’ll happen if we keep going down the path we’re on. We may not appreciate hearing him disagree with us, but that doesn’t mean he was wrong to speak up.
When someone challenges us, the fact that we’re upset doesn’t tell us whether we’ve handled things well. We need to ask whether we’ve spoken honestly and whether we’re seeking what’s good for the people involved.
That kind of self-examination matters in the middle of an argument, too. An argument can pull us away from the concern that brought us into it. We may begin by wanting the problem addressed. Then someone dismisses us or talks down to us, and we start wanting to make him look foolish to prove our point. The original concern may still be right, but we’re responsible for what we’ve allowed it to become in our own hearts.
The school board eventually voted to remove the books. That was a good outcome. Emmett didn’t know how they’d vote when he stood up. We won’t always know whether speaking up will change anything. We can explain what’s wrong and treat people respectfully. They may still refuse to listen. Their refusal doesn’t mean we should’ve stayed silent.
We belong to Christ, and we’ll answer to Him for what we say. Remembering that can help when we’re afraid of someone’s reaction. The Lord’s approval matters far more than keeping a meeting comfortable for everyone. The mercy He’s shown us should shape how we speak to people we believe are wrong.
Sometimes we’ll have conversations we’d much rather avoid. We should prepare carefully and ask the Lord to help us speak respectfully and lovingly. When it’s time to speak, being uncomfortable isn’t a reason to leave the responsibility to someone else.
In His Service,
I talk about Jesus and the Bible a lot. Sometimes on the radio, sometimes to people who willingly show up to listen. Occasionally, I write things down.
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Most of the people who read this got here that way. Passing something along like that is still the most helpful thing you can do.
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