The Gospel Requirement to be Gentle

Paul told the Thessalonians, “We were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children” (1 Thessalonians 2:7).  According to the concordance of the Bible that I have, we could translate nurse as “nursing mother,” which makes more sense here.  There’s no better example of gentleness that that of a mother with her children, especially infants and very young children.  To be a “gentle” person—as Paul was among those he taught the gospel to—is not an easy task in our high-stress world, but it is indeed a scriptural mandate. 

Alma taught the people of Gideon: “And now I would that ye should be humble, and submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering” (Alma 7:23).  These are traits that are worthy of a lifetime of pursuit, and they are certainly all related: to be gentle implies patience, humility, and being easily entreated.  Paul wrote to Timothy, “And the servant of God must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves” (2 Timothy 2:24-25).  To “not strive” means that we don’t seek out arguments or disagreement, and this is certainly a key to becoming gentle.  If we are gentle we don’t look for contention but rather look to teach truth with patience and meekness.  Paul gave more insight into this idea in his letter to Titus: “Put them in mind… to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing meekness unto all men” (Titus 3:1-2).  Someone who is gentle will not speak evil of others or gossip, and they certainly won’t be involved in brawls or fights.  James wrote that “the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated,” which implies that the way that God will communicate with us is peaceable and gentle.  God does not yell to us; He rather communicates with a “still small voice, which whispereth” (D&C 85:6).  This statement from James comes in his discourse about speech in which he called the tongue a “fire, a world of iniquity” and “an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”  Surely one of the hardest part about being gentle is controlling the way we speak to others—James uses hyperbole to emphasize the difficulty that we have, saying “the tongue can no man tame” (James 3:6, 8).  In our dispensation the Lord reaffirmed the importance of being gentle, especially for Priesthood holders: “No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned” (D&C 121:41).  To act with gentleness in all circumstances is an incredible challenge, but it is what the gospel requires of us who claim to be followers of Christ.