Gentleness is the word for the day. Speak this word over your life and family today.
Gentleness could be defined as, “strength or power under control.”
My grandfather had a horse named Star. Star was a beautiful Quarter Horse. She was loyal, hard-working, strong and extremely gentle. It was amazing how gentle she could be with my brothers and me. We would ride her, climb on her and hang all over her. She would carefully make sure not to crush us with her hooves or throw us from her back. She was patient and gentle. She was a perfect example of strength under control.
Let me ask you a question. The last time you “blew it, dropped the ball, messed up or made a mistake? Were you treated harshly or possibly with unforgiveness? Or did someone treat you with gentleness as they explained the mistake and offered correction for the future? Which way would you prefer to be treated? I know most people would choose gentleness over getting chewed out. That being the case, we have to be willing to help build the world that we want to live in. That means offer gentle correction when possible.
Philippians 4:5 “Let your gentleness be evident to all.”
What kind of world do I want to live in or help build? What kind of family or marriage do you want to build? If you want conflict to be handled with gentleness, then start handling your part of any conflict with gentleness.
Set the tone by these three steps…
- Bite your tongue- Offer a hug when your spouse blows it and say nothing.
- Control your tongue- Speak truth in love. When something needs to be addressed, do it in a loving and respectful way.
- Cut off your tongue- (FIGURATIVELY OF COURSE!) This means apologize. Admit when you realize you have not acted in gentleness.
Learning to control your words and actions, is strength under control. That’s the beginning of gentleness.