Gentleness Part 1

When you think of the word gentleness, what do you think?

~The sweet grasp of a newborn baby
~The brush of your adoring husbands hand upon your shoulder
~The wind breezing by you on a beautiful spring morning
~Your best friend walking side-by-side in silence as you purchase a dress for a funeral never planned

I have a million other examples ~ as I'm sure you do as well. But do you also think ~as we are called to do~ about the gentleness of our Lord?

~He sat & listened to the woman at the well, when no one else would come near her
~He prompted the heart of Boaz towards a woman working in his field
~He posed a rhetorical sentence to the angry crowd: He who is without sin may cast the first stone. And when they were all gone, the woman was left there with Him...Who did not yell or chastise her, but rather said, "Go and put away your sins."
~The heart of a 9 year old girl heard a whisper alone in her bed & she knew that voice was Jesus

Are there stories where Jesus was mad or God sent down His angst against His people? Of course. But time & time again, when I pick up God's Word, He reveals His gentleness to my heart, reminding me that no matter my sin, he will never pull me back to His will kicking & screaming, but rather whisper in my ear His ways ever so gently until I follow. Gentleness is controlled strength. God can slam you straight back into you place (and, ahemmm....maybe He has deemed that necessary sometimes) but most instances, He nudges you or speaks through someone or whispers into your heart every so slightly ~ with gentleness.

When you were holding your precious infant those first few days of their life, weren't you praying over his/her life & all the things he/she would become? Didn't you create a picture in your mind of health & happiness of a child who grows up to be a lover of Christ, a giver of His love, showing kindness to others? But your children aren't perfect, are they? And I'm sure they never let you down either. Let me guess ~ All of their chores are done with a smile & every word is spoken in love & no one rolls their eyes at you, right? Wait....wait ......Ohhhhhh, that was God's plan for us, not the sinful, fleshly world we live in today. Well let me pose this question then...Do you forgive your children when they make a mistake? Do you tell them they can do a better job next time & that you are still proud of all they are trying to learn? Do you remind them with gentleness that we don't eat the bread of idleness & that our house won't clean itself & then make chores fun? When they use unkind words or roll their eyes for the 3 millionth time, do you show them by your own words how they can choose differently next time?

God remembers our sins. He created us & knows our every detail, remember? But He doesn't leave us there. He guides us gently ~ and yes, sometimes with a necessary rebuke ~ back to Him. He remembers holding us as a tiny embryo, delicately making us into who we are today. He sits back & watches as we take our first steps with the very feet he fashioned. He recalls painting our fingerprints & the color of our eyes just as vividly as He recalls paining the sunset in the thousands of colors we see. He's Our Abba ~ Our Father. And as we are trusted with children, we need to also gently guide them back into His arms. We need to help lead them back to His Word .. reminding them of His gentleness we are to display ..

"He tends His flock like a shepherd, He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart..."

"Here is my servant in whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight."

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle & humble in heart..."

Be gentle today ~ Your children will see this beautiful trait of Our Abba through you ~ And will hopefully listen the next time He is speaking to them ~