Embrace the Race: Persevering Through Challenging TimesSample

Speak Up



Throughout history, brave men and women have stood up against tyranny and injustice. Sophie Scholl was a promising young university student who couldn't help but speak up about the dictatorship they lived under in Germany. Horrified about the war crimes taking place, such as POWs shot and thrown into mass graves and the mass killing of Jews, she and her colleagues believed they must passively resist the present evil of their day. 

This group of students produced a series of leaflets that promoted their concerns. Using theology and philosophy as moral arguments for resistance to the war, this group of brave young people called themselves the White Rose. On February 18th, 1943, determined to educate others about what was happening, Sophie and her colleagues brought a suitcase of pamphlets to the university's main building and distributed them between classes. Caught by the university maintenance man, Sophie and her brother, Hans, were sent to the Gestapo. Five days later, Sophie, her brother Hans, and her friend, Christoph Probst, were found guilty of treason. There were all executed by guillotine. 

In her final words, Sophie said this.

"How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause?" 

In the Bible readings today, Esther was faced with a similar choice. To go before the King without being summoned was a significant risk. Her very life would be in danger, and yet God had brought Esther to her royal position so she could use her influence to save her nation.

Daily Challenge:

How about you? Have you allowed yourself to be a voice for injustice? Do you advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves? God has given each of us influence. As believers, there are times we must choose to stand up for what is right, even if it is at a personal cost.