July 4: Gentleness

Scripture Lesson: Matthew 5:5

On this date in 1939, the New York Yankees honored slugger Lou Gehrig with his own day. The Yankees retired Gehrig’s number 4, the first player so honored by the team. Emcee Sid Mercer informed the sellout crowd that Gehrig was too moved to speak, but Gehrig changed his mind after Yankee manager Joe McCarthy encouraged him to address the crowd. The dying slugger then delivered the most famous speech in baseball history, calling himself “the luckiest man on the face of this earth.” Gehrig was one of the best-loved Yankees of all time, both by his teammates and the fans. He was indeed a gentleman who always gave his best.

Our Scripture lesson today is again from the Sermon on the Mount. Today’s passage comes from the Beatitudes. “Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth,” Jesus said. Meekness is not a bad trait. We often think of a meek person as being someone who does not stand up for himself or herself, but here it refers to gentleness in action and in speech. Thinking of others first is what meekness is all about.

1. Why is it important to be meek in a Biblical sense?

2. How can we show meekness on and off the field?

3. List some people in your life who are meek in this biblical sense?

Gehrig was indeed a meek man, one who was gentle in actions and in speech, putting his teammates first. We need to act the very same way toward our teammates.