Gentle

“But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherishes her children.” – 1 Thessalonians 2:7

A few years ago, I took Patience to the doctor to remove a painful cone from her foot.

All was well until the doctor started taking out his tools. Suddenly, the little girl started overreacting, basically behaving funny, and not allowing the doctor to touch her foot.

Frankly, I was almost getting exasperated at her rather unusual pettiness.

However, the youthful doctor remained remarkably calm; taking his time to gently tell her that it was going to be alright.

After the cone was removed, the doctor remarked that the first lesson a pediatrician learns at Medical School is gentleness. “Without gentleness you basically don’t have a job,” he said.

My take away from the conversation was that nobody is naturally gentle; it is a character trait that must be acquired or learned.

I know for a fact that we all struggle in the area of gentleness, and more so in a world where all sorts of ‘irritants’ keep hitting us left, right and centre.

However, the Word of God admonishes us to be gentle to all people.

A gentle person considers the impact of his/her words and actions on others, striving to be considerate and mindful in interactions with others.  

Being gentle is about approaching situations with a soft touch, fostering harmony and goodwill.

When you are described as a gentle person, they mean to say that you refrain from passing quick judgment on others and instead seek to understand different perspectives without prejudice.

Also, a gentle person is able to forgive and let go of past grievances, choosing understanding and reconciliation over resentment.

Regardless of the situation or the people we are dealing with, we are called to be like our Lord Jesus who was “gentle in spirit.”

Gentleness treats everyone with respect, regardless of differences in background, beliefs, or opinions.

In a nutshell, a gentle person is someone who embodies kindness, empathy, and understanding in his/her behavior and interactions with others.

One thing about gentleness is that it is usually other people who notice it in us.

For example, it is not common to hear me describe myself as a ‘gentleman.’

Rather, once in a while someone might chide me, “Please Petero, be a gentleman!’

So, can you be described as a gentle person?

Of course on our own we will always struggle with gentleness.  That is why God sent the Holy Spirit to help us.

In Galatians 5:22, the Bible says; “But the fruit of the Spirit is ….gentleness.”

In James 3:17, the Bible says; “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”

As servants of God, the Bible admonishes us to be gentle. 2 Timothy 2:24 says; “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle to all men, apt to teach, patient.”

Indeed as our meditation verse today shows, the apostle Paul lived up to that good example of gentleness in his ministry in Thessalonica, which was not an easy city to be a pastor.

Regardless of the situation or the people we are dealing with, we are called to be like our Lord Jesus who was “gentle in spirit.”

May the Holy Spirit continue to sanctify us and cultivate in us the character trait of gentleness. Amen!