Living Out the Fruit of the Spirit: For Kids + FamiliesSample

When you hear the word gentle, what comes to mind? Do you think of a soft, fluffy sheep eating grass by the hillside? Or white flakes of snow slowly falling from the sky in the winter? 

The Apostle Paul names gentleness as the second last fruit of the Spirit. But though it is near the end of the list, it does not take away how important gentleness is in living like Jesus. You see, being gentle means to put others above ourselves, just like Jesus did. It means to act out of kindness and carefulness in how we speak to and treat others. It means to think about the words we use and know that they have a big impact on others! 

Though it may sound easy, it takes a lot of strength to be gentle. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Fatire from Ethiopia became very anxious nervous. Every day, she was filled with fear of what would happen to her and her family. But when she started receiving regular phone calls from her Compassion centre, things started to change. 

With gentleness and kindness, staff at her centre reminded her she was safe and that she wasn’t alone. They prayed for her and listened to her fears. Their gentle attitude towards her was exactly what she needed to feel herself again.

How can you use gentleness to help someone who is struggling today?

Live it out:

Take some time to talk to your family about a time when someone was gentle with you. How did it make you feel? Talk together about some specific ways you can be gentler with those around you. What kind of difference do you think this will make for those in your life?

Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for showing us what it means to be gentle. I pray that you would remind me of the power of my gentleness to others in my life. Help me to be careful with my words and to put others first so I can be more like you. Amen.