In Ezekiel 3 and 33, God appoints Ezekiel as a Watchman, tasked with warning the people when he sees danger approaching. His role was not just about foresight but about accountability. He was told that if he did not speak up when necessary, the blood of those who perished would be on his hands. Today, in our roles within business, family, and society, this calling extends to each of us. Whether you're in a boardroom or around the dinner table, the responsibility to be vigilant, to recognize threats, and to speak out has never been more critical.
Vigilance in Business and Family: The Watchman's Responsibility
In business, being a Watchman means more than just managing day-to-day operations. It's about staying alert to potential threats to your organization's values, culture, and long-term health. Perhaps you're on a board, and you sense something amiss during a meeting. It may be a proposal that sounds financially lucrative but cuts ethical corners. Or it could be a shift in company culture that compromises integrity for expedience. Do you speak up when your spirit is pricked, and your conscience stirs? If you choose silence, you jeopardize your organization and risk the fallout of personal accountability.
The stakes are even higher in the family. The erosion of values and the disintegration of the family unit have wreaked havoc on society. We see it in the growing normalization of moral relativism, where the lines between right and wrong blur in the name of 'tolerance.' When we fail to stand as Watchmen over our families, we allow these cultural threats to permeate our homes, and the consequences are often felt across generations.
The Cost of Silence: What Happens When We Don't Speak?
History is full of the catastrophic results of staying silent in the face of obvious threats. Today, we are experiencing the fallout of neglecting the Watchman role in multiple spheres:
- National Debt: Our financial systems buckle under a weight that leaders have been warned about for years, but the warnings went unheeded.
- Border Security: The decimation of borders is not just about physical safety but the slow erosion of a nation's integrity, values, and identity.
- Family Breakdown: The destruction of the family unit, often justified by a warped sense of tolerance, leads to a cascade of social issues—rising crime rates, broken relationships, and the disconnection of children from moral anchors.
Each of these issues stems from a collective failure to act as Watchmen. When no one speaks up, the damage compounds. But silence does not absolve us. Ezekiel reminds us that we are held accountable if we fail to sound the alarm. Inaction, in this sense, is not neutral—it's complicit.
Reclaiming Our Voice: How to Speak with Courage
So, how do we reclaim the voice of the Watchman in a world where silence is often easier than confrontation? Here are a few steps we can take:
- Know Your Values: First, understand the principles guiding your decisions in business and family. When you're rooted in truth, speaking with clarity and conviction becomes easier.
- Speak with Purpose: Being a Watchman doesn't mean being reckless with words. It's about speaking the truth in love, with the intention of preserving what is right, not tearing others down.
- Accept Accountability: Just as Ezekiel was held accountable, we, too, must be willing to accept the weight of our responsibilities. Knowing that our silence can lead to harm should fuel our courage to speak up.
- Be Persistent: In both business and family, the threats may not always be obvious or immediate. We must be persistent and vigilant in defending what is good and right.
Staying Alert as a Watchman: What Are We Watching For?
As Watchmen in our organizations and families, we must be alert for various types of threats. These dangers can come in subtle forms, creeping in when we aren't paying close attention, but their effects can be devastating. Here are a few specific examples of what we need to be vigilant about:
- Mission Drift: Organizations often start with a clear purpose and values, but over time, distractions, pressures, or short-term goals can cause "mission drift." This is when the core mission slowly erodes, leaving behind an organization that no longer stands for what it originally set out to do. The Watchman's role is to recognize when the mission is being compromised and to speak up to realign the focus.
- Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: In both business and family, not everyone who enters is who they appear to be. Sometimes, individuals may pretend to have the organization's or family's best interests at heart, while in reality, their motives are self-serving or even destructive. The Watchman must be discerning, able to spot these "wolves in sheep's clothing" before they can do harm.
- Tolerating Mediocrity: A slow slide into mediocrity is one of the most dangerous threats to any organization. At first, it may seem harmless to tolerate subpar performance or cut a few corners here and there. But over time, this acceptance of less than excellence becomes a habit, damaging the organization's culture, reputation, and overall effectiveness. The Watchman must be brave enough to call out mediocrity, even when uncomfortable.
- Compromise of Core Values: One of the most subtle dangers is the slow erosion of core values. This can happen when leadership or employees start making small ethical compromises for the sake of convenience, profit, or external pressures. Once the line of integrity is crossed, it becomes easier to justify further compromises. The Watchman must have a clear sense of the organization's foundational values and ensure that they are upheld, no matter the cost.
- False Tolerance: While tolerance is often seen as a virtue, there is a growing trend of "false tolerance" where we no longer stand up for what is right in the name of not offending others. This can lead to a loss of identity, values, and moral clarity. This might mean allowing unethical behavior or decisions to go unchallenged in business. In families, it could mean compromising on principles we know are important. The Watchman must distinguish between healthy tolerance and the kind that leads to destruction.
- Erosion of Accountability: A key sign of incoming danger is when accountability starts to erode. The Watchman must act if individuals within a company or family begin to operate without checks and balances, making decisions without oversight or avoiding responsibility for their actions. Accountability is the foundation of trust; without it, systems and relationships break down.
Final Thought: The Watchman's Legacy
Being a Watchman means more than responding to immediate dangers—it's about ensuring the long-term safety and integrity of what we hold dear. Whether it's a company's financial health, national security, or a family's moral grounding, our role as Watchmen is indispensable. By claiming our voice, speaking with conviction, and standing firm on our principles, we ensure that we leave a legacy of integrity, accountability, and righteousness.
