Stand StrongSample

Gentle Influence A few years before he became the 26th US president (1901–1909), Theodore Roosevelt got word that his oldest son, Theodore Jr., was ill. While his son would recover, the cause of Ted’s illness hit Roosevelt hard. Doctors told him that he was the cause. Ted was suffering from “nervous exhaustion,” having been pressed unmercifully by Theodore to become the “fighter” hero-type he himself had not been as a child. The elder Roosevelt made a promise never again to “press Ted either in body or mind.” The father was true to his word. From then on he paid close attention to how he treated his son—the same son who would one day bravely lead the landing of Allied soldiers on Utah Beach in World War II. God has entrusted each of us with influence in the lives of others. We have a deep responsibility in those relationships. For this very reason, followers of Christ are urged to be patient and gentle with one another (Colossians 3:12). Since Jesus came in humility, how can we withhold such kindness from one another? Randy Kilgore