{Be Real} Open Hearts.

 Gentle. 

That’s a word I never used to describe myself. I mean, I was a shy girl most of my childhood but something happened in my late adolescence. It’s like I became this outgoing, oftentimes loud, over-sharing #hotmess.

You know that verse that talks about a gentle and quiet spirit?

“But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” -1 Peter 3:4

I never thought I could be that girl. And I felt bad about that. Because when I thought about her, the woman that embodied those words, I envisioned a perfectly peaceful woman, who never let her passions get the best of her, who kept silent, the one who always knew the right thing to say and did so, in a soft, soothing tone. She’s responsible and always does the right thing. She’s constantly serving, always selfless, the picture of hospitality.

I don’t know why I thought all of these things. The scripture said “gentle and quiet” and somehow I start to tack my own meaning and my own interpretation onto what it says.

Am I the only one that does this? Magnifies a definition into something unattainable, something far from what it actually means?

I began to search where that word gentle showed up in scripture. And you know my favorite one? It’s words from Jesus himself.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29

And I love that. In all of our striving and reaching, Jesus gently says, “I know you’re tired. I know you’re carrying heavy weights, the burden of all you think you’re supposed to be, of everything you think you may never be able to attain. Come to me, come rest in me, because I am gentle, and I will show you how to be. Only by resting in Me will you learn that my way is not about that one person you could never be, but the One you need to surrender to.”

Because when we learn to rest in Him, when we embrace His gentle heart, we understand that we tend to make everything heavier. Even simple instructions like “have a gentle spirit.” We somehow make that into something it was never meant to be.

This is what gentle is. Someone who invites us in, to rest, despite what we may or may not be. Someone who offers us an easier way, an easier load, the way of rest and peace.

What if gentleness has nothing to do with the things we say or do? What if it’s more about the position of our hearts? 

Oh friends, we don’t have to live perfectly curated lives. We don’t have to live up to that unattainable standard we create. We don’t have say and do all the “right” things to embody that quiet and gentle spirit.

We just have to live in such a way that it offers rest to others. A gentle spirit. One that creates a space for others to lay their burdens down. A life that says, “Let me be a place for you to rest. You, just as you are.” A life that is vulnerable enough to say, “I know you’re weary because I, too, know what it means to be worn. And it’s okay.” A life that softly says, “Let me be a safe place for you to stay.”

Let’s dare to live a life that welcomes others in, no questions asked. A life lived with a heart wide open. A heart like the One that saved our souls.

“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.” Ephesians 4:1-3