Passive Voice

My nemesis in the English language is passive voice. Or is it....Passive voice is my nemesis in the English language. Sigh...I may never know. My luck, both sentences are passive.

I am sure to someone who majored in English or a related field, determining passive and active voice comes naturally. Quite honestly, in high school, I would have rather dissected an extra frog than have to determine which sentences in a paragraph were active vs. passive. Of course, the torture never ended with just being able to pick the sentences out. I would then have to correct the passive sentences to active ones. The paragraphs were never as clear cut as the examples in the textbook. So, despite ample opportunity throughout high school and college, the ability to confidently differentiate between these two voices still escapes me.

As I considered my nemesis in the English language, I realized that passive voice is my nemesis in a more vital area of my life. I am called, as are my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, to be "salt and light" to the world around me. Yet I find myself existing in this world, much like salt sitting in a glass salt shaker. I see things going on around me, but find it easier to stay put and keep my mouth shut.  I think someone else will speak up and say what needs to be said. We stand on the sidelines watching issues literally eat away at our churches and our cultures today.  Issues of divorce, immodesty, and the destruction of Christian values in the name of freedom have corroded the heart of the church. In fact it has gone so far that now we find ourselves considering such issues as abortion, adultery, pornography, and homosexuality in our bodies and wonder how we got here.

A passive voice is all it takes.

What does an active voice look like? Unfortunately, it is not what I see when I look in the mirror. I hope in the future, I can say differently. I see a few active voices in the church today.  But I often see them squelched in a clamour for love and unquestioning acceptance. Perhaps, in time, we will again see the effect of God's salt in our society. But first, the change has to start in our churches and there, my friends, is the rub.

Because quite honestly, to be passive is rather easy.