So precious is the gift of gentleness.
{This is a picture of my eldest son holding his brand new baby sister, way back in July 2006.}
I believe that God holds us closely in His arms like this.
When we are scared. When we are lonely. When we are hurting.
Whenever we are vulnerable, we crave gentleness. We want someone to come alongside us and show us love through kindness, gentleness, calmness, and assurance that it will all be okay.
No wonder that one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is gentleness. Who would want a Spirit of harshness? I think of how Jesus is the picture of the Gentle Shepherd. He is gently leading his sheep into the fold. I love that image. I will never want to forget that I am God’s child, and that He is gently leading me by His hand… at all times.
As I go about each day, I am learning to practice gentleness. The book of Proverbs says that, “a gentle answer turns away wrath.” It is like putting water on a fire. I try very hard to always be gentle and kind. It’s definitely harder on some days to do this, especially when my kids are not getting Mommy’s hints!! Sometimes, I have to count to TEN and calm down before I answer. I want to try and answer with gentleness as much as possible.
It’s a beautiful thing to display or reflect gentleness. We live in such a harsh world today. So many people are running around, and they are hurt. They may not intentionally hurt others, but they will. It’s a part of human nature. We are wired to do the wrong thing before we learn to do the right thing. I have to constantly remind myself, my children, and anyone else that is willing to listen, that we have to be intentionally loving and caring toward others.
Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.
I hope that as we go about our week, and the approaching Halloween festivities, that we will be kind to the strangers, friends, family members, and neighbors we encounter.
Becoming Process Driven 