Editorial March 8, 1993 Issue

Gentleness and power

William E. Moody

Have you ever thought of gentleness as strength, even as the way to true greatness? Or does it seem that a gentle man or woman would be too weak to accomplish great things, perhaps a pushover, an easy mark for aggression or manipulation by others?

Consider the Bible's message. Psalm 18, for example. At the opening of the psalm, in the King James Version, we're told that this is "A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies ...." The psalm then begins with its first two verses proclaiming "I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust ...."

Later the writer adds, "Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great." This message of gentleness and strength permeates both the Old and New Testaments. The twenty-third Psalm is another vivid example, as is Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

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