What does it mean to have a gentle and quiet spirit?
What does a gentle and quiet spirit look like?
How can I have a gentle and quiet spirit?
We read about this gentle and quiet spirit in scripture:
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear – 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 (ESV)
Those are powerful words, aren’t they? Today I am joining Susannah, from Simple Moments Stick and a number of other bloggers in sharing our own spirit-breathed impressions of how this particular scripture applies to us.
What does it mean to have a gentle and quiet spirit like in the scripture 1 Peter 3:3-4? Do you long for a gentle and quiet spirit? #christianity #christianwoman #faith Click To Tweet
As I began to respond to this blogging prompt, I got excited. I began to think things like:
- What a wonderful opportunity to write a commentary about how the media pressures women in our society to focus on outward beauty.
- How to parent two girls who will be facing these external pressures.
- How society today is hung up on the external rather than the internal.
But then I stopped right there.
I stopped in my tracks of weaving these elaborate thoughts into a post because I felt the Holy Spirit telling me:
“This is a perfect example of NOT having a gentle and quiet spirit.”
Oops.
This is me. This is what I do. I dive in with my head and then my spirit has to run after my head to catch up. It happens more often than I would like. A friend asks for counsel and I start speaking before praying. When talking about Christianity I do so with a fervor that I’m sure it could be off-putting.
I long for a gentle and quiet spirit.
Some who know me say I do have these traits, but for me, it’s “work” to be that way.
Unfortunately, I can be opinionated because I feel this prideful need to be knowledgeable and to be right. It’s almost embarrassing to share that vulnerability here with you, but it’s the bleak truth of my personality.
However, I am a child of God. I’m beautifully created and perfectly forgiven.
As I read and reread this scripture, I felt the emphasis was on the “beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit”.
I realized that the people who have had the biggest impact on me did so in their actions; by their kindness, their gentleness, their openness, and their ability to sincerely connect and love others. By the world’s standards they may be viewed as average, but in my mind they were beautiful.
However, I sincerely believe that we aren’t necessarily called to be quiet and gentle all the time. I believe that God wants us to be gentle and quiet with Him. We need to be quiet to hear Him because often He talks in “…the sound of a low whisper” (1 Kings 19:12).
I also believe God may call us to be bold and that in our everyday walk there is “… a time to keep silence and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:7).
When I think of some of my favourite female preachers such as; Joyce Meyer and Margaret Feinberg, they are not quiet women. They are bold and enthused in their passion for Christ. You can see this passion in their ministries.
As I meditated on this scripture I realized that:
I can’t have a gentle and quiet spirit by my own actions.
When I try, it takes an extraordinary amount of effort. I can’t achieve this by my own efforts. I need to allow Christ to work in me and through me. Most importantly, I need to proclaim that by Christ’s blood I have a gentle and quiet spirit. The Lord promises, “Ask, and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7).
It is in my heart to seek a gentle and quiet spirit. A spirit that can pause, meditate, reflect, and revel in the glory of God. I can’t do it by my own will but I can do it through the precious blood of Christ Jesus.
So what about you? What does it mean to you to have a gentle and quiet spirit? Is this an area you’re working on too?
Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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This is so amazing Jennifer! Thank you so much for writing this. Honestly, so much of what you wrote touched a deep place in my heart. I definitely think we’re kindred spirits.
lovely! thanks for sharing!
There is a text that I love, I can remember the words but not where it’s taken from. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. I loved today’s post. I needed to read this.
Good one, very thoughtful post.
Jennifer, thank you so much for your sweet comment on my blog post. I am so glad that you found me and really enjoyed reading this post. What a great reminder that we can still be bold with a quiet and gentle spirit. I loved reading your thoughts on this and look forward to reading more of your posts!
This is so true! I’m loud and busy and get so excited when talking about God! I’m sure I can be a little off putting too! I love your thoughts about a time for both and that is exactly how it is! Thank you for sharing!
Beautiful post, I have to agree that there is definitely a time and place for gentleness and quietness in the world. Of course quietness with God is essential so that we can hear his words of wisdom. Thank you for sharing your heart and your perspective it’s so eye opening.
Good words here. There is so much wisdom in just being quiet before Holy Spirit to hear His voice. It is such a simple thing, but so often overlooked in our rushing around trying to please Him.
I was thinking about a gentle and quiet spirit this morning – I know it’s what God has been speaking to me about and then I found your helpful blog which I can identify with.
I think I’ve come to the conclusion that its not about being outwardly gentle and quiet (a bit impossible for extroverts!) and then more noisy on other occasions but rather, whatever our personality having a gentle an quiet spirit before God so that whatever our circumstances we are submitted to Him first and can hear Him above the clamour and busyness of our own stuff.
It’s the humble heart that the Lord loves be we fiery or quiet in character.
Great blog – thank you
I love how you used the time to be quiet & a time to speak! This was a great reminder to me. And I loved how you spoke about praying before giving advice. Wow! –
In my early Christian life I was soo anxious most of the time but with time and aspecilly after I began to make time for God EVERYDAY,I began to calm down( or He calmed me down).today this time with God is indispensable to my daily life.
I longed for a balanced life.
I found one in colossians 1-10 ..
Then, i noticed rowdiness in my heart at a point in this endeavour..
The four route to the balance I seek as written In colossian 1:10 is premise on interaction and relationship, with God and man.
I am now need PRECISION, which requires LONG LIST that I cannot write here.
But the top of the list is a QUIET SPIRIT.
To be deliberatel about functioning in this mood is now MY NEED.
Reading this blog gladings my heart.
I got here because I heard QUIET SPIRIT in my heart during my siester.
And now the Lord is saying LEARN FROM ME, my York is easy my burden is light Mathew 11-29.
SO I NEED TO LEARN HOW JESUS CHRIST BALANCED ALL, FACED ALL AND RELATED WITH ALL IN QUITENESS OF SPIRIT
Thanks for writing about this important topic. I was feeling flustered this afternoon and needed to focus on God’s peace. If there’s one thing we have all learned in the past two years, it’s how much our fractious old world needs these two qualities of quietness and gentleness. Since gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit and a quality of Jesus, I do think God wants us to bring these qualities into everything we do and not just in our relationship with him. Quietness of spirit, to me, means trusting God fully and humbly so that we are peaceable. Gentleness, to me, is a consideration for others that is also born in surrender to God. Even as we are taking a bold stand for God, we can do so with gentleness and respect toward others. 1 Peter 3:15. Even when expressing anger, we can choose to do so respectfully, without thoughtlessly crushing another’s spirit. Some women are forceful or boisterous by nature; others are soft spoken and even shy. But, we can all grow in having true quietness and gentleness.