I had a wonderful dog named Major for 16-years. Major was a big, beautiful fawn-colored Great Dane.
Major weighed 180-lbs, and it was all solid muscle. He was strong and powerful! Yet Major was the gentlest dog I ever knew. He liked to stand on his back legs, put his front paws on my shoulders, and give me doggy kisses!
Little dogs would yip and bark running around Major and Major would just ignore them. Little kids were fascinated by this giant dog who was taller than they were. They would pull on his ears and tail, and Major just stood there. He seemed to sense they were just playing and meant no harm. He was strength under control. Major was gentle.
The Fruit of Gentleness
For those of you who have been following me over the past few months, you will already know that my super-secret plan is to exhibit my faith in the workplace as an outpouring of the fruit of the Spirit.
“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
In this article, we will look at the concept of gentleness. First, we’ll consider what “gentleness” means. Second, we’ll analyze the role of gentleness when integrating our faith in the workplace.
What Does it Mean to Be Gentle?
The original Greek word translated gentleness that Paul used in this passage is prautēs. In many of the older, more traditional, Bible translations, prautēs was translated “meekness.” Meekness is an accurate translation. In Paul’s time, meekness was considered a virtue.
According to the Baker Theological Dictionary meekness is, “an active and deliberate acceptance of undesirable circumstances that are wisely seen by the individual as only part of a larger picture.” In other words, someone who was meek had the strength of character to deliberately accept temporary undesirable circumstances because they could see the bigger picture.
Jesus said there was a blessing associated with being meek, with seeing the bigger picture. Jesus said, “the meek will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Believers are called to be like Jesus, and Paul described Jesus as being meek (2 Corinthians 2:10). So, we should be meek like Jesus.
In the Greco-Roman world, meekness was thought of as a virtue. A meek person had the strength to control their emotions in the face of difficult circumstances. Unfortunately, in our society, meekness has come to mean weakness. When Paul said meekness was a fruit of the Spirit, weakness was not what he had in mind! I suspect that is why so many of our modern Bible translators prefer to use the word gentleness.
Gentleness in the Workplace
Writing to the Philippians in 4:5, Paul said, “Let your gentleness be evident to all.” That means to everyone – even people at work. We need to be gentle in our actions and our speech.
Some years ago, I had an underperforming employee. I met with her, explained the company’s expectations, and worked with her to bring up her performance.
Ultimately, I discovered she was lying about her work. I met with her to terminate her, and she unleashed a barrage of protests and criticisms. I had every right to be angry! But, remembering Proverb 15:1, “a gentle answer turns away wrath,” I calmly explained her inability to meet expectations meant she was not a good fit for this particular position. I then told her about a career that might be a better fit for her skill sets.
Eventually, she calmed down enough to see that I cared, and despite the situation, I had her best interests at heart. As we parted company, she thanked me for being gentle. She even thanked me for terminating her, so she could go on to a career that was a better fit!
And while we’re on the topic of gentleness, let’s remember that gentleness includes those emails and texts we write. When you are tempted to flame someone in an angry response, remember, a gentle answer turns away wrath, and we are to let our gentleness be evident to all!
Paul admonished his young protégée, Timothy, “to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). The way Paul is thinking about this instruction to Timothy is the pursuit of gentleness is an ongoing choice to be made every day, in every situation.
In our human nature, the meekness Jesus demonstrated and asked of us is beyond our ability. We must call on the power of the Holy Spirit to sustain us and help us to be the meek, gentle Christians Jesus intended us to be!
My Super-Secret Plan Series
I introduced my super-secret plan to integrate my faith into the workplace last fall. The plan itself is simple: I will exhibit, to the best of my ability, the fruit of the Spirit in the workplace as Paul directed in Galatians 5:22-23, “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
No one can stop us from integrating our faith in the workplace by exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit!
The “Gentleness” Aspect of My Super-Secret Plan is the ninth in a series, which examines how we, as Christians, can integrate our faith in the workplace. If you missed one of the previous articles in the series, you can catch up here:
#302: My Super-Secret Plan to Integrate My Faith into the Workplace
#307: The “Love” Aspect of My Super-Secret Plan
#311: The “Joy” Aspect of My Super-Secret Plan
#315: The “Peace” Aspect of My Super-Secret Plan
#324: The “Patience” Aspect of My Super-Secret Plan
#333: The “Kindness” Aspect of My Super-Secret Plan
#337: The “Goodness” Aspect of My Super-Secret Plan
#341: The Faithfulness” Aspect of My Super-Secret Plan
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. How has gentleness as an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit been demonstrated in your workplace?
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Category: Skills |Empowerment
