But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
When I think of gentleness, I think of a mother with her newborn baby
nestled on her chest being rocked to sleep. Gentleness makes me think
of a person who is sharing words with a loved one or good friend who is
experiencing a trial. I am sure you could think of many situations in
which gentleness comes to your mind. We have all experienced some form
of gentleness from someone.
I see gentleness as a wonderful quality of the Fruit of the Spirit.
We all need gentleness in some way toward others. If we do not have
gentleness, we will not be very inviting for others to come and share
their hearts with us. I remember the years I spent in full-time
ministry listening to others share their concerns or prayer concerns for
things going on in their lives. It took gentleness for me to just
listen and understand they sometimes just needed a listening ear. Many
of the people needed to hear they were not alone and had someone to call
upon and pray with and for them.
Please consider, for a few moments, all the opportunities God has
given you to be part of someone's life, especially in a time of need.
Did you show tenderness and gentleness to that person or did you become
harsh and send them to someone else? Now, I am not saying that we have
to always help every person with every need they have. We are all
gifted to help certain people with certain problems. However, we can
always be gentleness, loving and caring to show God's love and let them
know they are not alone.
I would probably consider myself more gentle and sensitive than most
men I know. I do not know why I became that type of person, but that is
how God made me to be. While I see other guys being tough and firm, I
am more gentle and sensitive. Or at least I try to be. I enjoy talking
with others and being able to relate with them from their life
experiences. I like to offer hope and encouragement when I can. I want
to show others gentleness and God's love in a way maybe they have never
seen before. I just pray that I am gentle in the times when I need to
be. Sometimes, God just needs to slow us down and remind us that life
is fragile and does need to be handled with care.
Remember to be gentle toward others. It shows God's love more than
we think.