Fruit of the spirit - Gentleness

I remember when we finally talked our parents into getting a dog.  I was so excited to finally have a pet.  I made a list of everything I was going to do with it - walkies, teach it to roll over, buy cute leads and collars.  When our new dog arrived the first thing I was told was to ‘be gentle’ with it.  I suppose my eagerness was evident to everyone as I cuddled my new friend!!  I was reminded to take my time in learning how to care for a dog, despite my excitement, as we’d never had one before.

Maybe you’ve also been told to ‘be gentle’ with something or someone?  Maybe like me it was a pet or maybe a younger family member.  It feels like a knock back, like a reminder that even though you’re eager, you still need to take your time.  You need to learn how to approach this new area.

Whenever I think of gentleness as one of the fruits of the Spirit, I think of it in a similar way.  To me, if you are gentle, you’re humble, compassionate and respectful but you are also eager to share and excited by your living hope in Christ.  Balance is important here because a gentle person will know how to take that step back to approach situations prayerfully.  This doesn’t mean you don’t stand up for what you believe in!  1 Peter 3:15 says ‘…Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect...’ From stories in the Bible, it is clear that Jesus was gentle, yet he stood firm when others tested him.  The love of a gentle person shines out as they eagerly share the good news of Jesus in a way that doesn’t put them above anyone else but rather places them behind others cheering them on in their own walk with Christ.
Galatians 6:1 says, ‘…If someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently…’.  So, when we are living, following Jesus’ example, we are called to walk alongside people who are struggling and to do so gently.  We support, listen and encourage, being gentle with them and their situation whilst always remaining true to our beliefs.  This might mean gentle reminders to Christian friends about their words or actions.  Or maybe this will be sharing the reason for the hope you have with a non-Christian friend who is feeling hopeless or lost.
Whatever way you find yourself living out these verses from 1 Peter and Galatians, we are called to do it with gentleness towards others.

The last aspect of gentleness is being gentle with ourselves.  At the end of the day, the salvation of others is not ultimately left up to us.  We often weigh ourselves down and are hard on ourselves.  If we put too much pressure on ourselves, we allow a barrier to come up between us and the help we could be to others.  So, to be the gentle friend, the respectful listener and the compassionate encourager, we have to be gentle with ourselves too.

Philippians 4:5 says, ‘Let your gentleness be evident to all…’, Paul goes on to say, ‘…The Lord is near.’  I always thought this was a strange mixture of a verse - be gentle and the Lord is near?  Both good truths of course, but now I think I understand this encouraging reminder Paul gives us.  He is saying ‘Be gentle towards everyone but also remember the Lord is near’.  We’re not out here listening or walking alongside people alone.  Everything does not rest on our shoulders, but rather we are held in the hands of the Creator.  God is always there, and he is always bigger than anything we go through.  

We have just celebrated my dog's 10th birthday!  Yes, a low-key party was thrown.  Over time I learnt to be gentle with him.  I think I have developed a gentle outlook on life.  When we balance our eagerness with compassion, great things can happen, and people’s lives can really be changed.
 
Let’s all try to be gentle with others and ourselves.  When we do, we’ll become more Christ-like too.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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