“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called
children of God. ~ Matthew 5:9
He flipped the page on his
datebook; already 1947. Time passes much
too quickly the Minister thought. Only a
century earlier his Methodist church had been a part of the “underground
railroad,” a secretive network that helped slaves escape northward. He wished he’d have been part of that
history.
A light knock on the door broke his concentration. “Please come in,” he encouraged.
“Of course not,”
offered the Minister. “Please, be my
guest!” He knew this man of course. A multi-faceted character, he was part
executive, crusader, innovator, horse-trader, friend, husband, father, and
grandfather.
The two men passed the time without speaking. The Minister worked on Sunday’s sermon,
wondering silently if his guest was on the verge of a shocking confession.
For nearly an hour the visitor paced nervously, stopping fitfully
to peer out the window on the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood that surrounded the
church. Finally he broke the silence. “I’ve got it,” he shouted, pounding triumphantly
on Pastor’s desk.
“Got what?” asked the confused Pastor.
“Wendell,” the man said, “I’ve decided to sign Jackie
Robinson.” With that, the man known as
Branch Ritkey sank into a soft chair and continued.
“This decision so complex, so important, fraught with so
many pitfalls but filled with so much good, that I just had to work it out here. I needed God’s grace and be sure what He
wanted me to do.” he confided.
Rickey donned his worn hat, straightened his bowtie then
left the room. Later he signed the
legendary Jackie Robinson, thus breaking baseball’s color barrier forever.
The rest as they say is history. Hollywood recently captured part of the story
entitled “42.” But they missed a
critical component – the importance of faith in making important decisions.
Rickey knew that the first black player to cross the big
league’s “color barrier” would be subjected to intense public scrutiny. The player would have to be more than a
talented athlete to succeed; he’d have to be a man of indelible faith who could
resist the temptation to retaliate.
Robinson, a man of profound faith and moral conviction was just the man.
Rickey also knew it was his destiny to integrate baseball. “It was God’s will,” he’d tell reporters
later, a promise made that day in the office of his Pastor, Wendell Fifield. “Resist not evil” from the Sermon on the Mount
reminds us that resisting evil is not a cowardly act – but an extremely heroic
one. Love conquers all!
Loving Father, You told us to “be anxious
for nothing . . . My peace will guard our hearts.” Be with us and guide us with all we do, with
all decisions we face, with every person we encounter. Pour your divine peach on us Lord, Amen.
