Digging Deeper: He Is Near
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
HE IS NEAR
Thinking about gentleness this week reminded me of a book I received in college as part of a scholarship award. It’s called, The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith. In it she says, “The nearer we are to Christ, the more shall we be enabled to exemplify the meekness and gentleness of our Lord, and the more tender will be our consideration for those who are our natural guardians and counselors.”
Christ’s proximity to us never changes. He is always near. How close we will stay to Christ is up to us. The question is what does that look like, and how do we do it?
This nearness of God is found in accepting Him as our Savior. We do that by believing that Christ died for us, covering our sins, once and for all. Then we grow in our faith by cultivating the relationship with God daily. There is no quick fix or easy button. It will require the investment of time and attention. The most beneficial ways to staying near to Christ are by reading His Word, studying, and memorizing scriptures, being in church and surrounding ourselves with other Christians.
When my children were young, I struggled with post-partum depression and hormonal imbalances for a few years. Some days were worse than others, but I would get them ready for bed and say, “Mommy and Daddy love you, but follow hard after the one who loves you the most – Jesus!” Then I would add, “Show me how much Jesus loves you.” They would stretch their little arms out as far as they could. It was such a sweet way to teach them that Jesus was the most important person in their lives. I may not have been very tender or gentle that day, but they knew Jesus was near and that He loved them. He was enough.
Tim Keller, a more contemporary author to Smith, said it like this. “The product of a true, growing, gospel-centered nature is often gentleness.”
Gentleness is not natural for any of us. Indeed, it is the reflection of God, the one who died for us and now lives in us. If clothing yourself in gentleness seems difficult, please remember to lean into the Holy Spirit. My prayer is that you know God is near and that He not only wants to be gentle with you but through you as well. Press into Him and His Word and He will do it.
Bridget Turner serves as the Director of Women’s Groups at NorthStar Church. She and her husband, Steve, live in Powder Springs and have two young adult children, Hannah and Joshua. She enjoys watching football, traveling and reading.