Exodus 15:2
The Lord is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him. (NIV)
115 years ago, Theodore Roosevelt said one of his most famous lines, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” While that may seem an odd quote to consider here, the message has a definite Christian purpose if we are willing to see it.
The meaning, after all, is not to be boastful, no matter the power you have at your disposal. It’s hard to imagine a more Christian piece of advice. As Christians, after all, we know that pride is a sin, that God’s glory should speak for itself and shouldn’t be used to pad our egos. We know that “pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor” (Proverbs 29:23). We know that we are mighty, that we are conquerors (link to previous conqueror blog posts) in Christ, but that part of that might is in being humble.
Exodus 15:2 above reinforces the idea that we should carry with us God’s strength, while always remembering that we should speak softly of this strength, that it is not ours to wield. We do best to let others observe the power God puts in us instead of drawing attention to it. We have to always remember that God deserves praise and exaltation, not us. Who are we to pump ourselves up?
We might take this idea still further if we look more closely at what President Roosevelt meant by “big stick” in the context he used it. For him, the “big stick” was the U.S. military, a powerful force that everyone in the world recognized. He had no reason to shout and threaten, he thought, because the strength of the U.S. was so apparent. No one was going to come messing around here, because no one was in the mood to test that power, and his reminding everyone of that fact would only diminish it. It would make him and his country look petty and weaker than they actually were.
For us, as Christians in our own daily battles, the Lord is our “big stick,” and His infinite strength allows us to speak softly when we look to walk through all of the challenges we face. There can be a tendency to be overbearing when sharing our faith. God is so incredible, so abundant in mercy and beauty, that we can be overzealous in our efforts. But Roosevelt reminds us to let God speak for Himself. We don’t need to “beat someone over the head” with His love. We simply need to speak softly and let God show the way Himself through the grace He puts in our lives. Be the quiet example of godliness; that is what wins the argument against evil and apathy. And, always remember that our actions can speak much louder than our words.
When we speak to those who haven’t found God, speak politely. God doesn’t need a salesman; He needs a testimony of His love for people to see. People need to see your life as an example of the goodness of God, and see His grace working through you.
God doesn’t need you to throw a dozen pamphlets under someone’s door. Simply living the strength that God gives us and showing your praise and exaltation to Him will be enough.
