Gentleness

Hey,
What a wonderful weather pattern we are in! We spent Sat. with Lynn's family and the temps were in the low 70's. Today it's 60+. We had a great day seeing how much the twins have changed in 1 month and playing with Nate. It was a little hard for him to see me holding one twin and not playing with him. Time to grow up.....just a little:)))
Today's word is: gentleness. The dictionary tells us: mild, sensitively light, not strong or violent. Synonym words are: gracious, kind, meek, merciful, tender. I would say that every description adds up to one word: Jesus.
Other scripture that uses this word, besides 1 Tim. 6:11 are: 2 Tim. 2:24 "And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." 1 Thess. 2:7 teaches "but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children." James 3:17 "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." I could end with all the verses because they preach a good message. But, I think I'll add some thoughts.
Remember we are to pursue gentleness. I know for sure that when we lose our tempers, we are not gentle. When we seek our own way to the hurt of someone else, we are not gentle. I think of the twins, babies that are helpless to defend themselves. We take good care of them and are gentle, even when we're tired. We are the adult and exert the extra measure to achieve gentleness.
Why is it when we get older, that gentleness isn't part of our thinking process? The society tells us that we need to live life our way. What about God's way? When Jesus came to earth, He was gentle, meek, kind.....If we use His example for living, we too will have these attributes guiding us through our days.
That doesn't mean our days will always be wonderful, because not everyone is gentle. The store clerk who slams your goods into the bag and keeps glancing at their watch is not gentle. The parent who slaps their child, oblivious to how it may hurt the child. A word spoken in anger that we later wish we hadn't spoken. The list goes on, doesn't it?
So, what will you do with gentleness? Will you manifest it in your life? Will you seek to be gentle even in trying circumstances? For me, the only way I can be gentle to others is to surrender my will/life to God and let Him work in me and through me, for His glory.

Striving to be gentle,
Sandy