Good Morning Friends!
Today's guest is no stranger to our blog but it has been a while since Stacey visited so please give her a great big W-E-L-C-O-M-E Baaaccckk!
Evident Gentleness
The words burst from the depths. Like early rumbling foreshocks, they warn of the coming quake. “Because I said so!”
I struggle to speak with consistent gentleness. The day begins well, but by 9 pm, when my kids are still roaring with energy and mine is depleted, my tone sharpens. I justify my attitude by pointing out their disobedience. However, someone else’s sin never justifies mine.
Have you been there? Have you stood in the right shouting all the wrong words? Have you wielded your battle sword only to lose the larger war?
We know Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” We understand that people respond best to kindness, yet harshness pours easily from the overflow of an exhausted heart. It’s too easy to yield to the temptation to satisfy our flesh by releasing frustration. We fail to heed Galatians 6:1-3 because we think we are right.
At war with that prideful position of being right is the believer’s desire to walk worthy of our calling with all humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with others in love (Eph 4:1-3). We are to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith …” (1 Timothy 6:10-12), and not be quarrelsome, able to teach, patiently enduring, correcting with gentleness in the hope God may grant him repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 2:24-26).
As I meditate on the verses that describe the woman the Lord is shaping me to become, I can’t help but notice they are packed with verbs. Action words require an active response from me. That means I stop passively waiting for God to supernaturally drop gentleness onto my tongue. I decide to believe that He has given me all I need in His Spirit to speak with gentleness at all times. And when I fail—because I will—I repent and humbly seek forgiveness from whoever I’ve wronged and God. Being right doesn’t permit me to treat a person made in the image of God harshly.
I don’t know where you are in your spiritual journey or how your relationships with others are growing and changing, but I expect some of you are like me, and you need to hear this correction. You need to hear the encouragement that God will meet us in exhausting moments, and He delights in giving us what we need to walk in obedience to Him; we only need to ask.
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Winner of the Women’s Journey of Faith Award, Stacey Weeks invites you to travel with her through the thirteen chapters in Glorious Surrender and address the deeply rooted fears we have as mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends. Reflection questions designed to prompt deeper thinking and personal application can be done alone or in a group.
Glorious Surrender concludes with five passages of Scripture along with study questions designed to walk you through the text and apply everything you have learned about suffering, surrender, and God’s sovereignty. Some of God’s greatest blessings are hiding behind those parts of our lives that are most difficult to surrender.
Get Glorious Surrender at Amazon in Ebook and Print!
Stacey is a mother of three, a sipper of hot tea with honey, and loves to share the hope of Christ with women. She has a graduate certificate for Women in Ministry, is a multi-award-winning author and novelist and is a frequent conference speaker. Find more information at StaceyWeeks.com
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Thank you for the lovely reminder, Stacey that we should strive for gentleness in all things and with everyone!
And, Thanks friends, for dropping by and honoring Stacey with your presence and comments. Come back each week for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight!
Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT
9 comments:
Thanks for having me on your blog again! It's always lovely to visit.
Loved this post, Stacey. The line about standing in the right and shouting all the wrong words really struck a chord. Thanks for the reminder.
I was only just writing an email about kindness and professionalism. Thanks for sharing D.
Thank you for the reminder of how much we need to be focused on God during our busy--and sometimes chaotic--lives. I enjoyed the words of wisdom, Stacey. Congratulations on the book.
Such of words of wisdom here! Thank you for sharing them.
A wonderful post...except my toes are sore from being stepped on. Seriously, what a beautiful reminder, Stacey.
A welcome reminder. It's hard not to snap sometimes.
A lovely post!
I enjoyed the post!
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