Gentleness is the spiritual gift of being mild mannered and implies humility and meekness. Our society equates traits like gentleness, humility, and meekness with weakness. In the kingdom of God, however, gentleness is an aspect of strength. Our perfect example of this is Jesus. In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus approached teaching others with a humble and gentle heart, and at the same time he was strong enough to carry all of our burdens. We too are called to teach the word to the lost with gentleness (2 Timothy 2:25).
As husbands and wives, we need to show gentleness in our marriages for us to grow as one toward one another. This begins with opening up the lines of communication and listening to each another. One of the hardest things for a husband to do when he sees his wife suffering is listen and empathize. Naturally, he just wants to fix the problem. This is where gentleness comes in. Husbands, your wife does not need you to be her savior when she is going through difficult times; she already has One. She needs you to be her partner who helps and supports her with gentleness as Jesus brings her through whatever trial she is facing.
Wives are called to clothe themselves with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God (1Peter 3:4). That beauty of gentleness will speak volumes to your husbands, more than anything else you might wear.
Jesus is our example of a gentle spouse in His gentleness towards his bride, the Church. He has always loved her, and showed the church gentleness for her, flaws and all. Whenever we get off track, he gently corrects us and reconciles us with God (Colossians 1:15-20).
Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to give us the gift of gentleness in our teaching and our marriages.