Gentle power

A young woman sat down at a table in a small restaurant.apparently in trouble , she struggled with her tears. An older woman at a table nearby noticed the girl's distress and said in a loving voice, "Everything will be all right."

There was something special in the woman's way of talking. She didn't know what the trouble was, and yet her words didn't sound hollow. It was clearly her great gentleness and selfless love that were speaking. No personal questions were asked, no "What happened, dear?" which might well have provoked a "That's none of your business."

When i left the restaurant the impact of that little scene stayed with me. Here was a case of loving one's neighbor, which Christ Jesus so warmly recommended. How often he himself was "moved with compassion." n1

n1 Mark 6:34

In today's society so many shocking events take place, and so many tales of violence solicit the public attention, that gentle, unassuming acts of kindness tend to pass unnoticed. Yet the need for just such kindness is paramount today to help heal mankind's ills. And such pure love does heal, for it is divine in origin.

God Himself is Love. Therefore love is an integral element of man's God-given nature -- a nature that is the spiritual expression of Deity. God is also Spirit and Truth. Therefore man reflects both the tenderness of Spirit and the power of Truth.

It is important to remember that gentleness is not weakness. Quite the contrary, for as Mary Baker Eddy n2 writes: "Tenderness accompanies all the might imparted by Spirit." n3 When in our dealings with others we express this might in humulity and love, we in some degree echo the words of the prophet: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." n4 Isn't that in a way what the woman in the restaurant was doing? And isn't that what we all should be doing?

n2 Mrs. Eddy is the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science

n3 Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 514m

n4 Isaiah 61:1

Why is the need for gentleness especially great today? One reason may be that there is a reverse side to the many blessings bestowed by the industrial revolution. Many of its benefits, such as speed, power, efficiency, are enriching modern society, often at the expense of such qualities as patience and consideration for others. In brief, the danger of the wonders of technology may be that they tend to dull mankind's sensitivity.

To give an example, a person who would avoid stepping on a butterfly or a baby bird might, as a bulldozer operator, be completely unaware of the gentle beauty that is crushed under the bulldozer's tread. No wonder one writer speaks of our world as increasingly "dehumanized." But a smiling face, a gentle helping hand, pure love as expressed by the woman in the restaurant, will help call back our natural sensitivity and tender feelings.

Then there is another function of importance that gentleness fulfils in today's matter-oriented world. Gentleness is oil that lubricates the wheels of our complicated society, reducing friction and keeping the wheels turning smoothly. In Science and Healthm Mrs. Eddy gives the spiritual signification of oil": "Consecration; charity; gentleness; prayer; heavenly inspiration." n5

n5 Science and Health,m p. 592.

DAILY BIBLE VERSE The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves. II Timothy 2:24, 2