|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness (Ephesians 4:1-2).
A few years back, I had to face a frustrating truth about myself. I realized I was talking too much, getting easily annoyed, and losing my temper over other people’s flaws. It wasn’t a great look, especially for a pastor, and it certainly wasn’t matching the person I wanted to be. So, I asked God to teach me gentleness.
Here is what this messy, humbling journey has taught me so far.
The Warhorse Analogy
When we hear words like “gentle,” “meek,” or “humble,” our culture instantly thinks weak. Nobody wants to be a doormat. But when Jesus said, “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth,” He wasn’t talking about wimpy weakness. He was describing a massive, untapped strength that most dictators chase their whole lives but never actually find.
To understand what He meant, we must look at the original Greek word used in the New Testament: praus.
In ancient Greece, praus was the exact word trainers used to describe a wild warhorse that had finally been tamed and disciplined. Think about that for a second. The horse didn’t lose an ounce of its fierce power, speed, or raw strength. It was still a magnificent force of nature. But now, all that tremendous power was completely surrendered to the whisper and control of the rider.
That is biblical gentleness. It isn’t a lack of strength; it’s strength under absolute control.
Walking with Bold Humility
A little while after I started praying for gentleness, I was sitting in a hotel restaurant in Russia. Out of nowhere, my interpreter looked across the table at me and said, “Pastor Grant, I have a word for you. You must learn to walk with bold humility.”
He had no idea how deeply those words would hit me. It was an immediate, practical answer from the Holy Spirit on exactly what I had been praying for in developing gentleness. It reminded me of a classic quote by Saint Francis de Sales: “Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.”
True gentleness isn’t something we can find at a spiritual Planet Fitness using it to pump ourselves up on a rough day. It’s the power of God Himself, released through us by the Holy Spirit. Paul writes in Galatians 5:22-23 that it’s a fruit of the Spirit.
My Three Daily Steps
Spiritual growth doesn’t happen overnight. Galatians 5:25 tells us to “keep in step with the Spirit.” Notice Paul doesn’t say we need to run, jump, or sprint. He just says to take steps—one single, ordinary step at a time. Below are three practical steps I’ve built into my own rhythm to keep me moving forward:
- I repeat the reminders. A few times a week during my morning devotions, I quote my memorized passages of Galatians 5:22-23, Ephesians 4:1-3, and Philippians 4:4-7 out loud. It forces my brain to start the day focused on gentleness.
- I review my words. Titus 3:2 says to “speak evil to no one, avoid quarreling, be gentle, and show courtesy toward all people.” So, before I go to sleep at night, I do a quick mental review of my day’s conversations asking myself: “Was I gentle there? Did I carry myself with bold humility, or did I try to force my own way?”
- I ask Barbara. Let’s be honest—none of us are great at spotting our own blind spots. Because my wife, Barbara, is a gentle person herself, she won’t just barge in and critique my character flaws unless I invite her to. So, I ask her for her honest feedback on my conversations. And then comes the hardest part: I sit back, close my mouth, and actually listen to what she has to say.
Just imagine what our communities—or at least our local churches—would look like if they were filled with people chasing after this kind of strength. Imagine the love, the encouragement, the power, and the wisdom that we’d witness on a daily basis.
It’s worth taking that next small step, don’t you think?