Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness

God the Father and gentleness. You know what’s hard to grasp about that sentence? We usually don’t associate gentleness with fathers (and even sometimes mothers). I don’t know why but growing up one of the most ideal prototypes of a great father was Vito Corleone from the Godfather. The patriarch of the Corleone family. Sure he oversaw a huge mafia family and at a snap of his fingers could get someone killed instantly, but he loved his family, had a (somewhat) moral code when conducting business, and overall screamed leader with his presence alone. You might even have gotten wacked (killed) for even associating such a word as gentle with Vito. And most of us have seen or partaken with such an identity ourselves: no weakness at all, shrewd in our movements, we want to dominate the rooms we’re in as we make our presence known. Yet God is a perfect Father. God is gentle, and He wants us to be as well.

            First according to ancient Greek word study, gentleness is defined with two words: meekness and humility. How does gentleness, meekness, and humility pertain to God’s character? Look at the life of Jesus summed up in Philippians 2:6-8 NLT:

“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

Mind you, this is the same God who asked Job, “Who kept the sea inside its boundaries as it burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it in thick darkness?” This is the same God who parted the Red Sea for Moses and the Israelites. This is the same God who kept Daniel’s friends unharmed in a blazing fire as it killed the three soldiers who threw them in there in the first place. This is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end. God could have flexed His muscles and take immediate control. He has the capacity to dictate every person’s thoughts, feelings, and actions to His liking. Yet He chose to give it up for a time and dwell with us. He chose to not flex His muscles but His heart. In the home sometimes the kids can be motivated by a hug better than a finger pointing at them. Who likes the boss with an ego problem more than the one who can sympathize with their employees? Or the coach who pushes the athlete over the edge without being able to identify if a rest period was needed? God being gentle allowed greater intimacy with Him. When we think about the motive behind gentleness, it should be to grow greater intimacy with one another.

            Now let’s investigate a common fear behind gentleness: what if someone abuses it? Gentleness does not mean the absence of correction or firmness, but the abundance of protection. A verse not usually associated with gentleness, let’s look at Job 5:18 NLT:

For though he wounds, he also bandages. He strikes, but his hands also heal.

God’s correction is perfect. He can correct to where there’s not a point of “no return,” yet is able to make a point known. Regarding Job in the passage: he hasn’t received any healing, sons and daughters died, nagging wife, home destroyed, sitting in piles of dirt and ash, and this is the beginning of the confrontations along with his accusatory friends. With all these events transpiring, Job can still see God’s healing hands. If you’re molding clay, you can’t be too aggressive or else the clay will tear or be distorted in shape. If you don’t apply enough pressure, you’ll have a shapeless form of clay spinning around on the potter’s wheel. Protection being at the forefront of our actions will dictate the amount of pressure we put on one another.

            Another aspect we must come to terms with is gentleness is not partial. A homeless man needs as much gentleness as the newborn baby. Think about a child playing with their toys. Yes, some toys can withhold more damage compared to others, but does that mean you are reckless with it? If they hold high value, I especially want the child to be more considerate while playing with the toy with the possibility of me taking it away sooner or later if they don’t. We are all made in the image of God. God knit us all in the wombs of our mothers. He knows the number of hairs on our head. He wants constant relationship with His people. “What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?” God is deeply invested with His creation, and we need our spiritual glasses to see the value God sees in His people to treat them well. In fact, would you mishandle a toy that isn’t yours? Why mistreat God’s child? Let the Spirit move through you and be gentle with one another.

Philippians 2:5 NKJV

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus