Gentleness is:
by Rod Janz, SoulStream Partner
Treading lightly on the earth.
A line in nature’s liturgy.
A way to be,
a way to show up,
a gateway into “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding.”
A fruit of the Spirit.
Interwoven into the fabric of a spiritually mature person’s life who is kind and loving.
Mysteriously emerges from times of
silence
solitude
and stillness.
A path.
Dictionary definitions:
“Considerate or kindly in disposition; amiable and tender.”
“Not harsh or severe; mild and soft.”
Gentleness plays a major role in contemplation.
As many times as I turn away,
or get distracted from abiding,
I can return…gently.
Gentleness is not found in the many expressions of my false self.
Society is hooked on violence, and I am complicit in so many ways.
Note to self re: gentleness – – do no harm!
Being driven and obsessed is not gentle.
Gentleness is like an older,
wiser, travel companion who
by their very presence
reminds me to slow down
and enjoy the journey.
If I want to get in touch and practice gentleness, I can:
Observe and learn from my mentors the trees as they simply stand tall in the winter mist.
Be gentle.
Walk softly
Walk aware
Walk as if I am on holy ground.
Feel cold air on my face as it touches my cheek like a feather.
Let the sweet smell of mountain air lightly touch the inside of my nose and surprise me with its heavenly aroma.
Stop once in a while to abide in naked being.
Watch cottonwood float through the air in springtime.
“Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” Matthew 11:28-30 MSG
Abide in the pace of nature on peaceful day.
“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin…” Matthew 6:28
The other morning, I woke up with the word “gentleness” on my mind. Shortly after, I read a daily meditation by Richard Rohr, which included thoughts from Shane Claiborne and Melissa Florer-Bixler, reflecting on the contagious nature of violence in our world. They reminded me that while violence begets more violence, kindness and gentleness and restorative justice also have a way of perpetuating themselves, even though it’s awfully hard work!
I have a bit of a history of experience and reflection with the word gentleness. The reflection above came from a particular encounter I had with it, back in 2013 or 2014. I was out hiking when I crossed paths with an owl—it perched in a nearby tree, turning its large dark eyes towards me, giving me a chill like something from a horror movie. That heightened my senses for sure and maybe opened me up a bit to what happened next. I kept walking, heading up the trail to a quiet spot overlooking Lake Whatcom near Bellingham.
As I sat on a log, all of a sudden time seemed to slow down. A cool, soft breeze brushed against my face, touching my left cheek like a feather. For a brief moment, it felt like a kiss from Spirit and carried a sense of Presence. When I stood up to leave, I felt as if I were walking on holy ground. I walked the entire way back down the trail, for probably an hour, very gently, and my senses were wide open to the misty surroundings of the trees.
That experience of gentleness brought back memories of times in my life when I wasn’t so gentle—whether it was in the sports I played, like hockey, football, and rugby, where physicality and violence were celebrated, or in other aspects of my life.
When the word ‘gentleness,’ along with memories of that day on the trail and the reflection that followed years ago, returned to me unexpectedly, I was reminded that as I become gentler with myself, I will naturally show up in the world with that same kindness and gentleness toward others. That was the real lesson that day. One that I continue to return to by the grace of God over and over again.
Gentle
Gentle
Gentle
May we all be gently kissed by gentleness and compassion and then begin to show up this way in a world that really needs it!
by Rod Janz, SoulStream Partner
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