Spiritual Fruit: Gentleness

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. –Galatians‬ 5:22-23‬ NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Gethsemane…hardly a place associated with gentleness. On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus went to this place where He had found comfort in the past. Jesus enlisted the prayers of His friends, but they fell asleep—unreliable lot that they were. Then suddenly, as the Lord was being arrested, Peter woke up, brandished a sword, and cut off the right ear of the high priest’s servant. Wow! Jesus may have been thinking, “How quickly My disciples have forgotten My words about turning the other cheek. They didn’t get it. My instructions were useless.” Jesus saw the bloodied ear lying there, foreshadowing His own soon-to-be-mutilated body. Abandoned by His disciples, betrayed by Judas, and with His teachings ignored, Jesus could understandably have reacted with retaliation. Yet Jesus, from the very depth of His soul, allowed gentleness to win. He reached down into the dirt, picked up the ear, and restored the man to wholeness. This is what true gentleness does. It restores, and it heals. Ask Jesus to fill you with His gentleness as you deal with abandonment, betrayal, and ignorance in your own life.