I think that God expects us to respond (not react) when the world pushes back like Jesus responded to the folks who were unable to see what He was doing. It won’t make sense. Here’s an example of what Peter’s teaching would look like in his day: “Peter is telling the Christian merchant in Bithynia who has just been publicly slandered and maligned because he follows Jesus to bless this person and pray for him and speak well of him in return. Then a neighbor asks this merchant why didn’t he defend himself against them for this malicious attack and is further confounded by the Christian’s stunning move to bless and not curse his enemy. Peter says to the maligned merchant, “This your moment. When they ask, be ready to tell them your secret (aka 1 Peter 3:15a). Oh, and one more thing, be respectful, even gentle about it.”
(J.D. Walt, “1 Peter: Surprised by the Church Jesus is Building” 2024, p 99)