Gentleness comes from love

For I am gentle and lowly in heart. Matthew 11:2

Gentleness is not a sign of weakness, but of strength under control. Gentleness is not a feminine trait since it is one of the manifestation of the spiritual fruits, and Jesus is the embodiment of gentleness. In fact, being gentle in a controlled manner requires great strength. 

In the key verse, gentle is praus in Greek, and one of the commentary describes gentleness as being the opposite of self-interest and self-assertiveness, thus a true gentle person is not occupied with themselves. 

Love produces all spiritual fruits, including gentleness.  It makes me want to read 1 Corinthians 13 where the great definition of love is found, in particular verse 5 that speaks of love not behaving rudely, not seeking its own, not being provoked, and not thinking evil. Aren't those the characteristics of a gentle person?

The opposite of love is selfishness, people who think too much of themselves will easily be angered and offended, which leads them to behave rudely, think negatively toward others, and talk in an ungentle manner. Developing gentleness does not simply mean lowering our voice or appearing nice, but rather comes from a place of love and selflessness.

Gentleness is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the flesh.  It comes from loving God deeply and trusting in His goodness, knowing that He will maintain our cause and has ultimate control over our lives. We can bear the fruit of gentleness when we surrender to the Holy Spirit and yield to Him.

Blessing prayer: Lord, may we be God-seeking instead of self-seeking, and we receive gentleness as a gift from you. I pray that we yield to the Holy Spirit and bear much fruit of love, so that our gentleness will be evident to all, In Jesus’ name, Amen.