Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is…gentleness.
This is a deep and fascinating aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit and one that is not looked upon with admiration in these incredibly divisive times. Donald Trump was a political force to be reckoned with, whether you liked his policies or not, but one thing he was not known for is gentleness—at least not in his public/political persona. The former president was tough…brash…hot-tempered…and not given to restraint. Whether it was a controversial tweet or an embattled encounter with the press, his approach was aggressive, and his attitude was not lacking in arrogance. Just to be clear, I was supportive of much of his presidency, so this is not some sort of political attack or bias. I am simply using him as an example of someone who is certainly NOT known for his gentleness.
All of us, however, should be.
The Greek word is prautes, which describes the quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance. Prautes is a quality of gentle friendliness – gentleness, meekness (as strength that accommodates to another’s weakness), consideration, restrained patience, patient trust in the midst of difficult circumstances. Spurgeon notes that gentleness “does not push itself to the front and does not easily get provoked. Some people are very hard, stern, severe, quick-tempered, passionate, but the true follower of Christ will be gentle and tender, even as He was. Familiarity with Christ soon begets congeniality of disposition and spirit, for those who are much with Christ become much like Christ. He who lies on a bed of spices will naturally find his garments smell of the same.”
Do your “garments smell” of Christlike gentleness? Sadly, mine usually don’t. I like the description found in the Precept Austin commentary and find it to be incredibly convicting…and difficult:
“Prautes denotes the humble and gentle attitude which expresses itself, in particular, in a patient submissiveness to offense, free from malice and desire for revenge… controlled strength, the ability to bear reproaches and slights without bitterness and resentment; the ability to provide a soothing influence on someone who is in a state of anger, bitterness and resentment against life. The word indicates an obedient submissiveness to God and His will, with unwavering faith and enduring patience displaying itself in a gentle attitude and kind acts toward others, and this often in the face of opposition.”
In short, gentleness seems to be the exact opposite of the atmosphere that pervades our culture these days. Whether it be on social media, a cable news channel, a talk radio show, or a podcast…gentleness gets you nowhere while being bombastic and hostile gets you the spotlight. But for us—those who are in Christ—gentleness gets us the approval and blessings of our Heavenly Father, which are far better than any attention or accolades of man.
One final note…
Gentleness does not mean weak. It does not mean you are a called to be a door mat or a passive fly on the wall. Christ was strong and aggressive and even angry…but only when it was called for and always in proper measure. His power was immense, but under perfect control, even in the midst of abuse. Or, as Aristotle defined it, prautes “is the mean between excessive anger and excessive angerlessness.” There is certainly a righteous time to be angry, but a gentle Christian will always hold that anger with perfect control, like a powerful horse that can be led gently by a small bit and bridle.
