The Gentle Touch

What does it really mean to be gentle? Find out as we continue our series on the fruit of the Spirit.

The next fruit of the Spirit that is mentioned in Galatians 5:22 is gentleness (or kindness). This is another one that has two names associated with it so I will use them interchangeably throughout this report. Gentleness is defined as the quality of being kind, tender, or mild-mannered (Dictionary.com). In 1 Thessalonians 2:7, the Apostle Paul illustrates gentleness as a nursing mother feeding her children. Gentleness is best described in relation to babies and children because most people would agree that you should not be rough with small children. It is easier to picture gentleness when we couple it with a loving parent and their child. In this way, we can see that gentleness is meant to be free from hurt. It causes us to take care in how we approach a situation and interact with a thing. It is not passive, it is simply considerate.

It is easier to picture gentleness when we couple it with a loving parent and their child.

The bible says to let your gentleness be known to all men (Philippians 4:5). To do this requires that we are intentional in our relationship with God because if we are not it will be next to impossible to be gentle with others. We must understand how to appropriately handle people without harming them. This is not something that is learned overnight. We must yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit when we are attempting to be gentle with someone else. This is especially true when dealing with someone that we know because familiarity can disturb the manifestation of this fruit. Gentleness has a lot to do with the words that we speak. We find this in a few places within the bible. Proverbs 16:24, says that gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Another scripture explains that a gentle answer turns away wrath (Proverbs 15:1). And yet another verse, advises to be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone (Colossians 4:5-6).

We know that words have power and since gentleness is often shown through our words, we must be mindful of what we are speaking over, about, and to others. The bible gives two examples of gentleness making someone great. The first scripture to reference is 2 Samuel 22:36 and the second is Psalm 18:35. Both verses show the magnitude of this fruit. Gentleness can literally make or break someone or something. These examples were very interesting to find because I have personally never heard anyone speak about gentleness in this way. However, it makes perfect natural and spiritual sense because when you nurture anything it can do nothing but grow and thrive. To nurture requires us to be gentle and kind because it requires us to care for a thing or person – this is the only way that it works. Through this study, I am learning that many of the fruit that may be seen as insignificant are highly significant in the kingdom of God.