When I was younger, one of my favorite television shows was Gomer Pyle. I used to love to watch and see what Gomer would get into next. His nonchalant way of dealing with the constant criticism that came his way from Sergeant Slaughter was down right hilarious at times. Whenever I watched the Gomer, I was impressed that he always responded rather than reacted to the criticism. I’ve been writing about gentleness for the last several posts, and whenever I think of someone who demonstrates “gentle-power”, I picture someone who has their personality, outlook, words, expectations, and response under God’s control.

Gentle people are proactive, not reactive. To put it another way, a proactive person is self-controlled, while a reactive person is controlled by circumstances, emotions, or any number of other things. Proverbs 16:32 says, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.” Haven’t we all said on occasion, “You make me so angry. I’m so upset because of what you’ve done?” Well, a gentle person is not controlled by the actions of others. I can remember many years ago that a wise friend told me, “Lee, just respond; don’t react.” When we respond we open the door for God to take control of the situation. So, the driving question is: How do you become a proactive, non-reacting person? Here it is: Seek first to understand - then to be understood. So many times we do it in reverse. We want to be understood before we seek to understand. We want others to hear our side, see our point of view, and understand how we feel. If we are honest with ourselves, we can see that that response is rooted in selfishness. Basically we are saying, “It’s all about me. My thoughts and feelings are far more important than yours.” However, if we are going to allow the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, we are going to have to put others first and self last. And since this is contrary to our selfish nature, we are going to have to spend time on our knees asking God to replace our selfishness with His selflessness. Then, and only then, will we be able to demonstrate gentle-power. “And the fruit of the Spirit is gentleness.”

1. JamesD Says:
   June 11th, 2009 at 2:06 am

   Thanks for the useful info. It’s so interesting

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