St. Francis of Assisi reportedly once said, “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.”
This line has always been very profound to me. I have never been the person who speaks up often, so this line always made me happy. I could preach the gospel without using words, without having to speak up and put myself out there. At the time I thought this would be the easy solution, everything would be within my comfort zone.
However, as I have grown up I have realized that this is actually a bigger call and that actions are a bigger deal than preaching.
Saying you believe something comes easy. Even though the idea of evangelizing to me seemed like such a hard thing, I realize that I often have conversations with my friends about God, so using words is not actually as hard for me as I always thought it would be.
However, to preach the gospel through your actions is much, much harder. This line is calling you to act your faith out every single day. That is a really big deal. I know I fall short of this all the time. We are constantly sinning.
This even calls you to go beyond just not doing the wrong thing. To preach the gospel at all times means to go above and beyond and always serve others. Preaching without using words is a difficult job, but it will lead to many great conversations. People will want to know why you are helping.
Looking back, I realize that this is not as easy as I thought it would have been. I need to always be looking to be an example of Christ. I know that I will never be able to preach the gospel at all times through my actions, but I know that it is a great goal to shoot for.
White is a junior majoring in communication. She can be reached at WhiteSJ@jbu.edu.