Your Gentlenss

Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near. ~ Philippians 4:5

There are people in my life who I call “gentle giants”, but really, these people are extremely strong.  You know the type - they keep themselves in check and seem to keep their cool even in the most difficult times.  They are the followers of Jesus who don’t bat an eye at persecution, or disagreements and they handle it by traveling the high road instead of getting easily angered.  They do what I often find impossible to do….hold their tongue.  The fact of the matter is that this type of gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit; you can only exhibit this gentleness by abiding in Christ, trusting God and loving others.  This kind of gentleness can only be illuminated when you let the Holy Spirit cultivate your emotions and you stay in step with Him.  You must be in check with your heart and mind and be on guard so that Satan can’t get a foothold in your  mind, your feelings and your reactions.  We must treat people, believers and non-believers alike, with grace and patience.  We need to be flexible with others and acknowledge that we are not all alike.  We must give up our own rights and be considerate of others first.  We must learn that it’s okay to agree to disagree and still love the people.  Many people have rough edges because they have never learned to be flexible, considerate and gentle with others who don’t see life the same way.  The truth of the matter is, as believers of Christ, we need to bring all anxiety, worry, strife and quarrels to Christ.  We need to remember that in quarrels, especially among other believers, nothing is as important as our end goal - to live for Christ for He is coming back soon and is near; nothing in this world is as important.  Ultimately, we are on the same team; in the same family and want the same thing.  The practice of restraining our emotions and yielding to forgiveness is the way of the “gentle giant”.  May we have the ability to hold our tongues and feelings in check so that we can be great examples of a Christ filled follower. ~ Amen