Gentleness is the 8th spiritual gift listed in Galatians 5:22-23. I’m ashamed to admit that the word gentleness brings to mind the oh so many times I reacted in anger or frustration to my mom. I was not always gentle! And her response was consistently one of listening first, speaking next.
Fidelity is foremost about my faithfulness to God. What does that look like in my journey? It’s not that God can depend on me to do the work for Him, but that He will be free to do His blessing work through me.
Goodness, the sixth spiritual gift listed in Galatians 5:22-23, is beneficence; being consciously unselfish in relationships. Do we practice Jesus’ example of unselfish wisdom in our daily interactions?
Kindness, the fifth “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22) is benignity; the artful quality of being gentle and gracious towards others. It is like the pureness of a child’s hug that only seeks to express appreciative affection.
Patience the fourth “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22), mimics God’s mind; it holds out quietly before giving way to action.
The peace lily pictured in this post is by Barbara Hamlin. Her friendship has been a long-time go-to pillar of peace that I return to as often as possible.
As with this rain adorned lily, peace is like sitting perfectly still on my back porch swing absorbing the ethereal beauty of my garden through the veil of rain.