2026 THEMES: MARCH
MARCH'S THEME: COURAGE
The Rev. Annemarie Delgado, WIN Executive Director, shared the following thoughts from a Christian perspective:
"I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
This verse is the last in God's commissioning of Joshua to lead the Israelites after Moses' death. Now before Joshua became Moses' assistant, he was a military commander and one would think that a former military commander wouldn't need the encouragement that God offers to Joshua in the first chapter of the book of Joshua. However, Moses is now gone and Joshua has a big task ahead of him. So, God gives him encouragement and reassurance telling him three times, "Be strong and courageous."
Christians today also need this reminder for we understand that true courage in faith is demonstrated when one is willing to stand alone in obedience to God, confronting injustice and speaking truth, even when it comes at personal risk. We understand that it takes strength and courage to love God and to love our neighbors when the power of the empire is against this love. It is even harder to love those neighbors that are part of the empire, but love them we must, for love changes hearts. This kind of courage is essential not only for a strong and resilient faith in a world where many face real persecution for their belief, but for a world where all of God's creation can thrive and peace can reign.
Katrina, a member of the Baha'i faith and WIN Board, offered the following:
Trust in the capacity of this generation to disentangle itself from the embroilments of a divided society. To discharge your responsibilities, you will have to show forth courage, the courage of those who cling to standards of rectitude, whose lives are characterized by purity of thought and action, and whose purpose is directed by love and indomitable faith. As you dedicate yourselves to healing the wounds with which your peoples have been afflicted, you will become invincible champions of justice.
The Universal House of Justice, message to the Paraguay Youth Congress, 2000
Maia offered the following quote by Elizabeth Fry, 1780-1845 (one of the first women followers of George Fox):
I believe there is something in the mind, or in the heart, that shows its approbation when we do right. I give myself this advice: Do not fear truth, let it be so contrary to inclination and feeling. Never give up the search after it: and let me take courage, and try from the bottom of my heart to do that which I believe truth dictates, if it leads me to be a Quaker or not.
Kim shared the following quote by Maya Angelou:
One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.
