Gentle Voices

(Grandmother’s senior portrait from the Marion County High School 1916 annual.)

            I once heard gentleness or meekness defined as power under control. A gentle voice, as opposed to a clanging one, is useful and of great value to God.

“Blessed are the gentle (meek), for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5 NASB).

            “Your adornment must not be merely external – braiding of hair, and wearing gold jewelry…but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:3-4 NASB).

            “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1 NASB).

            Sound check. Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3... 

Gentle or harsh? 

Did you pass the test?

            “O Lord, I confess that I was prideful today and thought I was better than the past four teachers. Father, now I recognize my own shortcomings and realize I’ve got a lot to learn about teachin’ children. How will I ever make it through this school term?” I prayed.

            The Comforter’s gentle voice resounded deep in my spirit and rekindled His strength within me by saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for (My) power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). ¹

  

¹   Jill Watson Glassco. The Schoolhouse (Peoria, AR: LifeHouse Publishing, 2012), 23.

                                     (The Schoolhouse is available online at Amazon.com)