Print This Article     Email This Article to a Friend       Gentleness: A Godly Trait   He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." (Isaiah 40:11 KJV) One characteristic of godly leadership that many of us miss is gentleness. The reason I missed it for so long is that I was raised with the idea that a man has to be a tough guy. He cannot show any emotion; he cannot show concern or compassion for people. He has to be a hard-liner, who doesn't mince words with people even if he cares about them. He has to make them tow the line! So as a man and a leader, discipline was the name of my game, and if someone missed it, I felt I had to get on their case so they would not miss it again. As you can see, I had some real changing to do when I began to learn more about godly leadership. THE COMMON MISCONCEPTION Let me begin by clearing up a common misconception: gentleness is not an un-masculine trait, neither is it a sign of weakness for a man or a woman. As a matter of fact, properly understood, real gentleness springs from confidence in the strength and ability of Jesus which resides in you by the power of His Holy Spirit. Gentleness is not shouting loud, abrasive directions—that merely is a sign of insecurity and perceived inferiority. True gentleness acts completely opposite to that—it comes from walking in the knowledge that you need not feel threatened that somebody else might try to usurp your power or your authority. Many leaders do possess an unshakable firmness, but gentleness is a sign of strength that can come only from God. It is a characteristic of true godly leadership. GOD IS A GENTLEMAN Why is gentleness a godly trait? Because God Himself is a gentleman. He made each one of us a free moral agent; He will never override our will. It tears God's heart apart when someone rejects Him; but God will not push Himself onto someone, even if it means seeing that person go unsaved. He will not impose on anyone's will in order to bring them into His kingdom. We see this same gentlemanly trait in the apostle Paul. Now Paul carried a lot of clout with the churches where he ministered. But even so, he followed the biblical example—he would not coerce a brother into doing something he did not want to do. As touching our brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with the brethren: but his will was not at all to come at this time; but he will come when he shall have convenient time. (1 Corinthians 16:12 KJV) Strong leadership—godly leadership—does not override someone else's will. If you are still having doubts, take a look at Galatians 5:22-23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (KJV) The fruit of God's Spirit living in us includes gentleness. It is a necessary characteristic for a godly leader to have because it is a part of who God is. LEADER VS. BOSS Maybe this idea of gentleness seems too extreme. "But Mac," you might say, "you don't know my employees." You're right; I don't. But I do know this one thing: whoever they are they will respect you more when you lead with gentleness. Let me close with a quote by an unknown author: The Boss drives his men. The Leader inspires them. The Boss depends on authority. The Leader depends on goodwill. The Boss evokes fear. The Leader radiates love. The Boss says "I." The Leader says "we." The Boss shows who is wrong. The Leader shows what is wrong. The Boss knows how it is done. The Leader knows how to do it. The Boss demands respect. The Leader commands respect. Do you see it? The leader leads with gentleness. The leader doesn't need to ask for respect; his actions and attitudes command respect. People will follow godly leaders because people follow the fruit of gentleness.
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