Excerpt from James 3:17-18

"But the wisdom from above is . . . gentle."

Reflection by Donna Schaper

We hear a lot of talk about lost tenderness, increasing toughness; lost softness, increasing hardness.  The writer of James suggests the divine origin of gentleness.  That origin may matter more than we think.  

Gentleness turns the tide of a conversation, when we respond with a smile to a person headed straight to the land of rude.  It changes the tone of meetings, when we insert a joke onto the table where everyone else has decided to take matters too seriously.  It changes what we say about recessions, when we insert a fact, quietly, about how white families have a dollar for every dime black families have in accumulated wealth.  

How do we say something like that with gentleness?  We say it quietly, softly, and slowly.  We acknowledge every time we complain about how the recession is hitting us that it has hit others longer and harder.  What is gentle about such truth?  It takes the long view. It depersonalizes.  Gentleness is wisdom from on high.  We are allowed to bring it down to earth.  

Prayer

Spirit of Gentleness, tenderness and grace, grant us a divine tone to our speech. Let it be gentle, wise and real.  Amen.

About the Author Donna Schaper is Senior Minister of Judson Memorial Church, New York, New York.

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