Philippians 4:5
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Think back to a time when someone was mad at you. How did you handle it? Were you calm? Or did you lash out? I can think of numerous times when I lashed out. It DID NOT end well! But I can think back to a time when someone thought I had done something that I had not done. Inside, I was screaming in my defense: "That's not fair! I didn't do it!" But, I remained calm and addressed the situation. That ended very well and with the relationship still intact. It's like what it says in Proverbs 15:1: A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Gentleness is not generally a part of our makeup. So, how do we learn to be gentle? We can look to Jesus' example because he tells us in Matthew 11:29: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I AM GENTLE and humble in heart... We can learn from his nature. We can learn from his example. We can also learn from how he addressed people.
Putting on Gentleness
Since gentleness does not come naturally to us, we can do what it says in Colossians 3:12: Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, CLOTHE YOURSELVES with compassion, kindness, humility, GENTLENESS, and patience. We have to intentionally put on gentleness. By learning from Jesus' example and intentionally putting on gentleness, we can then do what it says in Ephesians 4:2:
Ephesians 4:2:
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. As always, if you are struggling with being gentle, you can ask God to help you. Rest assured, he will!