Gentleness: The Terror of Love
Gentleness and terror do not naturally connect in my mind. Yet there is a way that Jesus has managed to bring them together, in his demonstration of his love for his children, and I've been thinking about it all day:
"The greater the love, the less it can tolerate the presence of anything that can hurt the beloved, and the less it can tolerate in the beloved anything that is unworthy or less than the best, or injurious to the happiness of the loved one. Therefore it is perfectly true that love, which is the most beautiful and the most gentle passion in the universe, can and must be at the same time the most terrible - terrible in what it is willing to endure itself in order to secure the blessing and happiness and perfection of the beloved, and also , apparently terrible in what it will allow the beloved to endure if suffering is the only means by which the perfection or restoration to health of the beloved can be secured." - taken from Mountains of Spices, by Hannah Hurnard
Isn't that amazing? Gentleness is one of the fruits of the Spirit, which means if our hearts belong to Christ, his attributes will begin to grow and be made evident in our lives... so this gentleness, which is so terrible and wonderful and which is bent completely on redemption of the Beloved, no matter the cost - this pain that Jesus feels any time one of us turns away - is part of our fellowship in sharing in his sufferings. Unfortunately, I don't handle these things as well as Jesus does.
My heart has been breaking for others lately, and I've been bothered since Sunday, because the pastor ended the message by asking if, in our personal conflicts and relationships with others, we were living in faith or trying to work it out. My thought was, "Can't I do both? I'm trying to do both!" I really think I'm living in faith, but I still want to know what my part is in actively fixing things for people I love... even things that aren't mine to fix. If I'm not going to make it right, who is?
Today, as I studied this perspective of gentleness with my mom, we found a verse about gentleness that I've never considered in relation to the verses that come after it:
"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
- Philippians 4:5-7
Having the gentleness of Christ means loving faithfully and sacrificially. Doing what Ican, but then releasing the things I cannot. Not worrying and analyzing and trying to fix it, but lifting it up to God and surrendering it to him, trusting that he knows the perfect time and way to redeem his children... after all, he's been doing this for a long time. And not only will he bring peace to the situation, he will give me peace too.
"The greater the love, the less it can tolerate the presence of anything that can hurt the beloved, and the less it can tolerate in the beloved anything that is unworthy or less than the best, or injurious to the happiness of the loved one. Therefore it is perfectly true that love, which is the most beautiful and the most gentle passion in the universe, can and must be at the same time the most terrible - terrible in what it is willing to endure itself in order to secure the blessing and happiness and perfection of the beloved, and also , apparently terrible in what it will allow the beloved to endure if suffering is the only means by which the perfection or restoration to health of the beloved can be secured." - taken from Mountains of Spices, by Hannah Hurnard
Isn't that amazing? Gentleness is one of the fruits of the Spirit, which means if our hearts belong to Christ, his attributes will begin to grow and be made evident in our lives... so this gentleness, which is so terrible and wonderful and which is bent completely on redemption of the Beloved, no matter the cost - this pain that Jesus feels any time one of us turns away - is part of our fellowship in sharing in his sufferings. Unfortunately, I don't handle these things as well as Jesus does.
My heart has been breaking for others lately, and I've been bothered since Sunday, because the pastor ended the message by asking if, in our personal conflicts and relationships with others, we were living in faith or trying to work it out. My thought was, "Can't I do both? I'm trying to do both!" I really think I'm living in faith, but I still want to know what my part is in actively fixing things for people I love... even things that aren't mine to fix. If I'm not going to make it right, who is?
Today, as I studied this perspective of gentleness with my mom, we found a verse about gentleness that I've never considered in relation to the verses that come after it:
"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
- Philippians 4:5-7
Having the gentleness of Christ means loving faithfully and sacrificially. Doing what Ican, but then releasing the things I cannot. Not worrying and analyzing and trying to fix it, but lifting it up to God and surrendering it to him, trusting that he knows the perfect time and way to redeem his children... after all, he's been doing this for a long time. And not only will he bring peace to the situation, he will give me peace too.
