Gentleness as a Characteristic of Love
Gentleness. It’s a word not often used in our vocabulary today, and as such, there’s a lot of confusion about its meaning. Some view it as weakness while others define it as “tenderness.” But then, what does that mean?
As a writer, when I’m uncertain about a word, my first instinct is to run to the dictionary, so that’s what I did. According to Merriam-Webster, gentleness is “a mildness of manner or disposition.” That’s not all that helpful, is it? The online Bible dictionary, however, makes it very clear. It tells us that gentleness is a “sensitivity of disposition and kindness of behavior, founded on strength and prompted by love.” Ooh, I like that!
Kindness founded on strength and prompted by love. That’s perfect! There’s nothing wimpy about a man being a gentleman. There’s nothing weak about someone who chooses to respond with kindness. The definition says it all. It’s founded on strength and prompted by love.
We see gentleness displayed in I Corinthians 13 in one of the first descriptive phrases about love: Love is kind (vs. 4). It looks for every opportunity to be a blessing. Sometimes that involves helping with a chore, but many times, it’s as simple as offering a smile or giving a hug. Gentleness is all about putting the needs of others before our own and putting our best foot forward.
I had the opportunity to show a bit of kindness today, and I’m happy to say, I followed the Lord’s nudging and did what He asked of me. It cost me a little, but I can tell you, without a doubt, it was worth it. I was able to help a fellow Christian by passing on a blessing God had given me. When I first felt the Lord speaking to me, I thought, Lord, what will they think of me? I’m pretty much a stranger to them. Besides, they probably won’t accept the gift. The more I wrestled, the more confident I became that God wanted me to do this, so I did, and peace followed shortly after that.
I wish I could say I always obeyed God’s promptings, but you know that’s not the case. The point is the prompting is there. Love is in my heart, and it’s constantly reminding me to be gentle (kind). Some days I listen, and some days I don’t, but the seed is there. It’s up to me whether or not I will allow it to flourish in my life.
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”