What does “Preach the gospel at all times, use words if necessary” mean?
Photo by Kampus Production
This popular Christian saying has been attributed to St. Francis of Assisi for many years. Some doubt he ever said it, but who cares? The message is fantastic!
I remember the exuberance I had when my spiritual journey began. Before Christ, I lived in a world where I saw people as “guilty until proven innocent.” Meaning, I didn’t trust but just a few people on the planet. The world of my perception was not very friendly. After surrendering my life to Christ, I discovered a world full of love and wonder! With this new discovery I couldn’t resist bombarding my middle brother Bruce with the same barrage our sister Shawn had laid on me, which was relentless. It also spurred on some pretty heated discussions. After all, I was his 19 year old “little” brother and what did I know? Jesus said, you will know a tree by its fruit. In unrelenting zeal and lack of patience, my brother didn’t have a chance to witness any fruit from me because my compassionless words felt like thorns to him!
About 6 months later, our oldest brother Bill had a tragic accident on his motorcycle. The doctors’ prognoses were not good. He had flat-lined when the ambulance carrying him arrived at the hospital, they resuscitated him but there was considerable doubt he would survive. The damage to his body was extensive. Upon hearing of our big brother’s accident, Shawn and I had the same experience, but without any contact between us. We prayed and immediately had an inner “knowingness” that everything was going to be alright and that our whole family would come to know God through this tragedy. When I arrived at the hospital, the first person I saw was my sister, with no words exchanged, we both smiled. Our brother Bruce, who still had no connection with God and little hope of Bill’s survival, saw this and was furious with us. Our confidence was beyond what words could express, but we shared that we knew from the Holy Spirit that Bill would be alright.
In the months to come, Bruce really watched Shawn and me. It was incomprehensible to him that we could be calm and worry-free, when he and our parents were so shattered. From this point on, My sister and I just loved and supported the rest of the family and did not try to use words to convince them of anything. This scripture comes to mind of the experience, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1-3
Many years ago my mentor, Todd Silver said, “Twenty years from now, you won’t remember anything I said, but you’ll remember what kind of person I was.” The kind of person we are impacts those around us far more than the words we speak.
In the year and a half following Bill’s crash, our parents, Bruce and Bill each surrendered their lives to God. Everything turned out precisely as the “knowingness” Shawn and I experienced in prayer those first moments after receiving the news. And very few words were necessary.
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