Surrendering to Gentleness

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

Gentleness is not known as an American quality. It probably does not make the top 10, or even top 50, qualities known to be influential in our culture. So how do we push against social norms to move towards this virtue?

Perhaps part of the answer lies in the second half of the above verse: “the Lord is near.” When we are aware of the presence of Christ in us and in the situations we find ourselves in, it’s a lot easier not to power up and try to control things. Of course, one of the things we try to control the most is ourselves, and that often leads to disastrous consequences. Not to mention trying to control others. But if Christ is present and we can trust God to be at work, perhaps we can lean into a new way of being with both ourselves and others.

Take some time to meditate on these keen insights from a couple of Christian leaders as you prepare yourself to become more gentle.

• If you are telling the truth, then you can speak gently, and your words will have power. — Chogyam Trungpa

• Be kind to each other: It is better to commit faults with gentleness than to work miracles with unkindness. —Mother Teresa