Gentleness: The Feather and the Hammer

I was thinking about gentleness today. This is a value taught all across the New Testament. But among many followers of Jesus today, gentleness has been replaced by confidant assertiveness and aggression in the name of “taking a stand”. But in Colossians, gentleness is listed among the virtues that make up the patchwork garment of love that “binds them all together in perfect unity.” Check it out:

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:11-13 NIV)

So why gentleness? I think gentleness is an expression of both humilty and faith: humility that we can’t really change or control a person or situation in a satisfactory way... and faith that if we press into the weakness of a gentle posture, God can do much more through us than we could ever ask or imagine. Gentleness isn’t weakness. It’s recognizing our limitations while also recognizing God’s limitless power at work in us.

I was thinking about a revival meeting I attended a couple months ago. At the time, I had never been to such a meeting, but I was so hungry for God’s love and power to more fully invade me, I was more open than ever before. I was the 6’3 Norwegian in the front row of a large African American church in Memphis, worshipping with new freedom and probably looking quite foolish... but for once, not caring one bit! I could feel God’s presence like a bright light in my body.

The second night at the altar call, the visiting preacher called up anyone feeling God’s presence. Well that was me. I jumped into line at the last minute. When the preacher came to me, he gently put his hand on my forehead and prayed a very sincere prayer for God to fill me in a new way. I felt something liquid like a bright light flow through my body all the way into my arms and legs. I felt like my whole body was illuminated! After his prayer, I crumpled like a rag doll and spent 45 minutes on the floor, my hands shaking, my whole body feeling the euphoria of God’s love and power on a new level. I could have gotten up if I had to but I didn’t want to! The feeling was incredible. One of the sweet things that happened on the floor was that a lady came up to me and lovingly stroked my back while praying quietly for me under her breath. It was very tender and though I never opened my eyes to look at her, I felt God’s love through her prayer. God started saying new things to me there on the floor that continue to shape my journey today.

The third night, something different happened. I was feeling the Lord’s Presence when the preacher called people up. But this time, when the preacher came to me, he called to the pastor sitting on stage to come pray for me. I saw the pastor leap up from his seat and run to the edge of the stage. He shouted “FIRE!!!” and literally shoved me backwards. I went to the floor and lay there for some time, but God’s Presence dissipated immediately. That liquid feeling of light was gone, although I did feel peaceful. I wasn’t offended by what the pastor did, but I recognized that the spirit was different.

I think one dynamic the Lord was showing me through that experience was this:

When we touch a person or situation with gentleness (whether physically or metaphorically), the Lord is able to touch that person or situation with real power. But when we touch people or situations aggressively, we don’t leave room for the Spirit’s work and we open the door for confusion. Was that God? Or was is just human manipulation? What we touch with a feather, the Lord touches with a hammer.

Gentleness is not tentativeness or timidity. Gentleness is very different from those things! I’m talking about a radical boldness and courage that doesn’t need to exert itself to get things done. This is because we know deep inside that the power to get stuff done doesn’t lie in us! It lies in the Father. And He gives us the power for all things, whether it is getting through the slog of our workday or praying for a friend with cancer. And when we see God swinging his hammer through our gentle touch, it makes us so joyful! Suddenly there’s no pressure in the Christian life. We don’t have to exert or strain or perform for Jesus. All we need to do is rest in intimacy with the Father, seek His heart and direction, walk in gentle humility.... and see God change the world through us!