Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Speak softly, and carry a big stick.” I wondered how I might apply this phrase to my own journey to be more like Jesus–to reflect his love in all that I do.
I believe that pursuing peace through justice is what it means to truly follow Christ. Pursuing peace by being vulnerable with one another, building relationships and standing in the gap for “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40) is “speaking softly” in a Christian context. Yet that doesn’t always mean we will literally speak softly. On this journey, we may find ourselves crying out.
Jesus and the gospel are why we pick up our sticks. So what then is the stick? Something that motivates you. It’s that deep place from which you draw energy–a core principle on which you will not bend.
This message is an excerpt from “What is your stick,” in the Give Us This Day column by Sharei Green in the March 2017 issue of Gather magazine. Today is the second Sunday in Lent. The readings are Genesis 12:1-4a; Psalm 121; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17; John 3:1-17. We remember Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, who died in 604. Don’t forget to turn your clocks forward one hour. Today begins Daylight Saving Time.
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