Gentleness

When we (meaning me and my three siblings) were little my Mom used to put Bible verses to song to help us learn them. I have forgotten most of them but a few I can still remember and even sing still. One of the songs I can still remember happens to be about gentleness.  I remember it very well, because apparently we struggled with being gentle with each other so much that Mom was constantly reminding us of this verse.

It went: 

"Gentle words make peace...

 but harsh words stir up trouble!" 

And when you get to harsh words you pretend to stir a big pot (well, at least that's what I remember doing). And I'm sure we had a hand motion for the gentle words part but I don't remember it.  It must not have been as fun as pretending to stir a pot. 

So what comes to your mind when you think of gentleness? How can you, as a godly young women, have a life characterized by gentleness?  From the verse I shared above, which is Proverbs 15:1, we see that gentleness has a lot to do with our words towards others.  This verse is pretty straight forward, okay.  Gentle words make peace, and harsh words make trouble.  Yet due to our sinful nature we often find ourselves responding to others with harsh words, which results in, you know - trouble.

Every day with the help of God's Spirit within us we must strive to use gentle words.  You will find that when we are not always so set on having things our way but instead respond with gentle and encouraging words and when we are open to the ideas of others we become what you might call peacemakers.  In the beatitudes Jesus talks about peacemakers.  Mathew 5:9 says; "Blessed our the peacemakers for theirs is the kingdom of God."

All this talking about using gentle words reminds me of something else my Mom often told us when we were quarreling. My Mom loved to use the quote from "Bambi" when Thumper recalled what his Dad had told him; "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all."  It's true.  I've learned that sometimes the gentlest response is just to not say anything.

Also, I want to share 1 Peter 3:3-4; "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight."

In God's eyes a gentle and quiet spirit is very precious.  To me someone who has a gentle and quiet spirit is someone who finds their true comfort in God.  Someone who, when troubles come their way, remains calm through it all.  Someone's whose inner beauty outshines that of their outer beauty 

Cultivating this heart of gentleness is not easy.  In the eyes of others it may look like weakness.  It is not.  Rather it requires greatest of strength to obtain a spirit of gentleness.

When you are hurt, confused, or upset, remember God wants you to remain calm without complaining or saying anything harsh back.  Think of Jesus on the cross suffering for your sins.  He never once cried out in anger or complained.  He demonstrated to us perfectly what it means to have a gentle and quiet spirit amidst suffering.  So as you go through life keep you eyes fixed on Jesus' perfect example.  Follow Jesus' example and God will fill you with a spirit of Gentleness.