Gentleness Goes a Long Way

A number of years ago we took our family to a ranch in Montana. It was a camp for families but upscale as we had our own cabin and walked over to the main hall for meals.

A big feature of this Ranch was the horses and horse back riding. The horses ranged from very frisky down to the one called Snowy. This horse was white and had a wide back. The most interesting thing about this horse was the youngest child could safely ride on Snowy. He never bucked or startled. He was a large, beautiful horse in size but once on top, the rider could be a real cowpoke!

Gentleness is not something that we seem to value much. We might think of gentleness as weakness but that is not what it is. Gentleness comes out of the inner being and includes being mild mannered which means not over reacting to someone else's anger over issues but rather understanding them and saying things at the right time, right way, right tone, the right content or noting at all, but never to hurt.

Gentleness also includes being kind, tender hearted and thinking of the person in your path. That includes being outgoing as much as your nature allows but also not rushing on with your life because you are so entitled and important and the other person isn't.

Snowy never rushed. He plodded. Children could take the reins on top of this powerful, strong horse and he let them guide him. Snowy exhibited humility. He was majestic but he was willing to walk or jog slightly if appropriate but he waited for the small person on top to direct.

If we value something like gentleness, we will be more open to ask the Lord for the fruit of gentleness in our lives. When we aren't being gentle, we will have the error before us and we may hurt others. We can correct our attitude and learn to walk on in gentleness, blessing others with our calming air.