A Soft Touch

“Gentleness is a strong hand with a soft touch. It is a tender, compassionate approach toward others’ weaknesses and limitations.” – Author Gary Thomas

Thomas tells a story, “When my daughter was young, she used to love to squeeze my hand as hard as she could, trying to make it hurt. She could squeeze with all her might, but it never hurt. She didn’t need to be gentle because she lacked the power to cause me any pain. Then, just for fun, I’d give her hand a tight little squeeze until she yelped. It’s the strong hand, not the weak one, that must learn to be gentle” (para. 6).

Gentleness shows through meekness and a mild temperament.

Demonstrating Humility
Colossians 3:12 says, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” The Cambridge dictionary defines humility as “the feeling or attitude that you have no special importance that makes you better than others; lack of pride” (para. 1). Humble people recognize the needs of others and consider their ideas.

Showing Compassion
The Greater Good Magazine explains, “Compassion literally means ‘to suffer together.’ Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering.” Gentleness and compassion work together because helping someone requires a mild temperament.

Displaying Tenderness
Authors at Emotion Typology state that tenderness is “the feeling when you encounter someone or something that seems cute, vulnerable, or childlike in appearance or behavior. You have the urge to nurture and care for this person or thing.” Furthermore, “Tenderness motivates us toward tender, kind, warm, affectionate, caregiving behavior” (para. 3). Part of gentleness is the desire to protect and advocate for those whose voices aren’t always heard.;

“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)

Humility, compassion, and tenderness – Echoing Hills is a place where you can belong. We serve to give hope by showing the love of Jesus Christ.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/humility https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/the-strength-of-gentleness/
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/compassion/definition#:~:text=Compassion%20literally%20means%20%E2%80%9Cto%20suffer,though%20the%20concepts%20are%20related
https://emotiontypology.com/positive_emotion/tenderness/