By Brenda Cannon Henley
Gentleness is the next word in the list given in Galatians 5 describing the fruits of the Spirit of God. We have already determined that every Christian that walks worthy of his calling should strive to embody these nine fruits in their life, but some are harder to grasp than others. I have put off writing about “gentleness” because I simply was not certain of the approach I wanted to take or what I wanted most to emphasize about this particular fruit. I have found in my study and in my reading that gentleness means so many different things to so many different people. No wonder folks get confused listening to sermons, reading textbooks, and studying on their own and in classrooms. What does the word “gentleness” conjure up in your own mind? What does it mean to you? I am finding that different words really need to be thought upon, studied, prayed over, and discussed before coming to a concrete conclusion and calling our definition truth.

We know that the Holy Spirit of God, a full-fledged member of the Trinity, works in Christians and a portion of that work is gentleness. This word can also be translated as “meekness,” and it does not mean weakness. It more often than not involves humility and thankfulness toward God and results in polite, restrained behavior between other people. The opposites of gentleness are anger, a rabid desire for revenge, and self-promotion.

I am more convinced than ever that it takes a truly strong person to be gentle and to interact with family, friends, co-workers, and others he meets in a gentle fashion. I personally know a man that is big in stature, massive in strength, and often intimidating simply because of his size. And yet, when one knows him well, one finds he is kind and gentle and willing to help anyone he meets. One of my favorite photos of this man is him sitting in a hospital room holding his tiny, first grandchild, and the wonder of the event is seen clearly in his face and in his hands. It looks as though one hand could envelope the small baby and that he could throw her across the room as easily as an apple or an orange. If you search the photo carefully, you will see a single teardrop sitting on each cheek just below the eyes that are looking adoringly at his tiny heritage.

Another example of true gentleness that I have found is that in the mighty elephant. These huge creations have often been harnessed to carry heavy loads, uproot trees, and provide transportation in desolate lands from a young age. The trunk is an example of great strength blended with precise control. Did you know that the trunk alone has over 40,000 muscles and is strong enough to rip giant branches from towering trees, but remains sensitive enough to pick up one single blade of grass? That is indeed gentle.

Gentleness places man’s strength under God’s gracious guidance and becomes a powerful tool for His work here on earth. We will correct kindly, forgive quickly, and judge much less often. Gentleness is a gift, freely offered to Christians. Will we be quick to accept it and work toward maintaining and maturing it in our lives?
[3-20-2017]

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at (409) 781-8788, or
[email protected].