“Learn from me, for I (Jesus) am gentle and humble in heart.” Matt. 11:29
Lord Jesus, with my heart-notebook open and pen in hand, teach me the ways of gentleness and humility. I want to be more like you. I want to be gentle and humble when my first reaction is often the opposite.
Gentle me when things just don’t work out—when good plans end up in the trash ben. To be disappointed is human; to throw a 30-minute whine-fest is not awesome; but to be graciously accepting and flexible is the beauty of grace.
Gentle me when I hear spin, exaggeration, and blatant untruth. To have raised dander, blood pressure, and hackles is healthy; to call down fire won’t help anything; but to center first on you, then respond with bold love and wise words is a work of your Spirit.
Jesus, gentle me when I face fair and unfair criticism. To get defensive, make excuses, switch into attack-mode—or shut down in shame, is human, broken, and too easy. To humble myself, listen carefully, believe the Gospel, own up and repent is… too rare but so sweet. I choose sweetness over snarkiness.
Jesus, gentle me when I forget where I put stuff, when the mirror doesn’t lie, and the calendar says I’m closer to heaven. To live in denial, vanity, or fear is normal. To love, trust and delight in you—to accept reality and look forward to eternity, is the freedom of the Gospel. I want more freedom, playfulness, and laughter.
Jesus, thank you for your grace, kindness, gentleness, and sovereignty And thank you for friends who make growing older and growing in grace a shared journey, a mutual encouragement-fest, and a life of hope. So Very Amen.
