Good Morning, Team! It’s Friday!

As we work through fruits of the spirit, gentleness is the next to last stop.

Gentleness is a quality characterized by kindness, tenderness, and empathy towards others. It involves treating others with sensitivity, patience, and compassion, often expressed through soft words, gestures, and actions.

My world growing up had few examples of gentleness. Life was very straightforward and there was little room for coddling or sensitivities. As a family business driven by an ex-military patriarch, we were results-oriented with clear direction and daily “marching orders”.

So what do I know about gentleness?

As a son, husband, father, grandfather, and over time an empathic leader, I was exposed to a variety of behaviors and styles and found that, as the old saying goes, “you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar”. Meaning, it is best to seek to understand before asking to be understood. If you don’t know what someone is dealing with, you aren’t going to get their best. Thus, being empathic, understanding, and compassionate is not just the right thing to do as a human, it’s also the most efficient way to get your point across.

I’ll close with the line from a former pastor, “As you go out into the world this week, be gentle, because everyone is fighting a battle of some kind.”

Have a blessed weekend!

Eric