But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

1 Peter 3:4

When you hear the word “gentle,” what pops into your head? Perhaps a mother, tenderly caring for her newborn baby. Or the gentleness of carrying a breakable object.

Sometimes when someone is described as “gentle” we might think they are a pushover or weak. A boxer or CEO of a company likely wouldn’t want to be described as gentle and we probably wouldn’t put gentleness on our resume as a listed attribute.

And yet one of our role models who performed miracles was gentle! Jesus was the perfect example of what gentleness is. He definitely would have had gentleness on his list of attributes. So why are we so afraid of it?

To be gentle doesn’t mean we have to be weak. In fact it means the opposite. To choose gentleness means you are choosing not to overpower someone.

Take a gentle giant for example. Someone who is huge and could take advantage of a situation because of their size but chooses not to. They are gentle but certainly not weak. They are choosing not to use their strength detrimentally.

When we look at gentleness from that perspective, as a strength, then we understand why God wants us to be gentle of spirit. Choosing to have a kind way about us and how we approach life means we are living a life for Christ.

God wants us to live in harmony and take care of one another. If we are slapping each other around (literally and figuratively) then we create hostile environments. That certainly isn’t going to promote peace.

And just because you are gentle of spirit doesn’t mean you don’t stand up for yourself or those you care about. Jesus went out of his way to help those in need. He washed the feet of his disciples and spoke God’s truth when no one wanted to hear it.

The same goes for motherhood. Being a gentle parent doesn’t mean your kids run the house. Being gentle means you set firm boundaries and stand by them. Jesus’ gentleness is what allowed the broken and battered to find peace. Just as children need space to make mistakes and still feel loved.

Breaking kids down or losing our temper only creates anxiety. Calmness brings peace and shows kids you care. Striving for a gentle spirit is the best way to achieve this.

So let’s be gentle of spirit! Add this fruit to our basket so you can walk with a calmness about you that makes people wonder who you are (Christians!). You can be strong and still choose to be humble, it does not mean you are weak. Gentleness builds others up and that strength is worth more than we will ever know!