Gentleness requires humility and patience. It requires a maturity in love. Gentleness is a thoughtful and intentional fruit of the Spirit. It’s firm and delicate all at once.
It’s safe.
“with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love," Ephesians 4:2
Jesus was gentle with every person He encountered. Even in the few moments where He was firm, He was gentle.
The story that comes to mind most, as an example of Jesus’s gentleness, is when He encounters the adulterous woman in John 8:3-11.
The religious leaders bring Him a woman caught in the sinful act, because they were trying to trip Him up. He told them if they were without sin to cast the first stone. He then asked the woman if anyone stood to condemn her, she looked around and everyone had left and she told Jesus no one. Jesus told her "neither do I, now go and sin no more."
He didn’t ignore the fact that this was sinful. But He was gentle with her. He showed her compassion, patience, humility and all out of His abundant love for her.
When we encounter His gentleness in this way we quickly learn that He is safe and trustworthy.
When we draw close to Him, He tends to our soul and He gets rid of rocks of criticism, weeds of entitlement and waters our hearts with love and sweet compassion. Naturally the fruit that comes out of this is gentleness.
This is a fruit that requires intentional time with Jesus. The more time we spend with Him, the more like Him we become.
~ Amanda Santistevan
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