Gentleness is not a strength of mine.
I’m often referred to as ‘blunt’ and ‘harsh.’ The Bible says that Jesus was full of both grace and truth; I always tell people that the truth comes easy for me, but grace is tougher. For some people it’s the opposite, but not me.
I read books like John Eldredge’s “Wild at Heart” and get really pumped up about being a manly man. A man who is not afraid of anything or anyone; who never loses in a fight, and who is on a mission. It’s hard to rectify the typical American hero who is tough, strong, and courageous, with words like gentleness and meekness.
This post is the result of a request from a reader, shout out to Clay for this idea! (And if you ever have thoughts or questions you’d like me to touch on, just click the Contact Page and shoot me an email!)
The notion of being meek or gentle is something that has never appealed much to me, until I reframed my working definition of the terms. I remember being in college and doing an exegetical paper on Philippians 4, and verse 5 seems to come out of nowhere and sit there awkwardly on the page. Paul is wrapping up his letter to the Philippian church and is shooting some closing exhortations at them. then he writes, “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”
It sat somewhat uncomfortably with me, because I looked at myself and did not see a gentle person. Yet this command is situated directly next to the line “The Lord is near.” As in, because Jesus is near; because the Holy Spirit is within you, the world should see you as a gentle person. The body of Christ should be gentle to one another, and to those outside the Body.
How un-manly.
But then a number of things happen.
You turn the page backward and read Philippians 2, which describes Jesus’ kenosis, a fancy word for self-emptying and realize that the manliest man who ever lived was gentle to the point of death. He emptied Himself for the sake of those He loved, allowing Himself to be crushed by the hands of other humans.
Now let me ask you a question: Was Jesus weak? Was He weaker than those who crucified Him?
Or in many ways, does it take more strength to restrain our impulses in certain situations?