Gentleness.   When you think of gentleness, do the words peacefulness, love and tenderness come to mind?  Gentleness is a fruit of God’s Spirit, that often equates with softness – like a kitten purring!  When you are relaxed, breathing in slowly, then breathing out with the gentleness of a breeze, or a blue-sky day, do your thoughts move to God and how he wants to love you and hold you with his gentleness?

While some people think of God as a creator, a judge, or an all-powerful presence, wouldn’t it be wonderful if, in our hurried and worried world, we could find more of God’s gentleness and peacefulness – in our lives?   More time when God is gently holding you.

Perhaps to get to this “God’s gentleness” point of view, we might think of God in new way.   So let’s dive in – literally dive into the ocean for just a moment, to watch a brief, perspective changing story about a giant Moray eel and see how this might change our perception of God.

We went scuba diving on the reef of the Molokini Crater in Hawaii.  For the rest of my life, I’ll never forget how a giant eel slithered way out, then slid all the way back inside its home that was hidden on the edge of the reef.  Out toward me, then effortlessly back into its cave.  Out then in – I felt like it wanted to eat me and was checking me out!

I kept my distance and watched, from my untrained perspective, as the scuba guide swam closer and closer to this giant – until the eel practically ate out of his hand as it gracefully glided for a free meal.  Now I don’t know about you, but my perception of eels has always been that they are creepy, scary and dangerous. I swear I’ve seen at least one movie in my life where eels chase or kill people.  So you can imagine my shock when the guide started to pet the eel along the length of his body, and then beckoned me to join him.

Really!  Well, I knew it was either now or never, so with a little more encouragement, I finally reached out and began to pet the eel’s body with my bare hand. And I was absolutely shocked. Not like an electric shock, but delighted by how silky, plush and velvety this eel felt.  It was so smooth and soft that I’m certain I could feel it purr just like a kitten.  It seemed to rub and snuggle next to my hand.  What an experience.  What a perspective changer.  In a word, the eel that I had been so afraid of, had the feeling and touch of gentleness!

It’s the same way how God, our Father in heaven, wants to offer us the opportunity to reach out and touch him, so he can hold us with his strong but gentle hands.   But unlike the eel who hides in a remote reef in the middle of an ocean, God has been there, by our side all our life, patiently and gently waiting for whenever we want to talk with him.

And oh, how he loves it when you talk with him.  Like a mom holding her baby, or a kitten purring in your hands, or a giant eel gliding against your skin, our God delights in being gentle with you.   He is the perfect Daddy who wants the very best for his children and loves it when we are living in his abundance, peace and overflowing joy.

And just as a kitten purrs when we hold it; and just as the eel seemed to softly press its body against my hand; and just like you and I like to be gently held; our God loves when we are holding onto him.

Let’s pray together, “Dear God, we thank you for being so mighty, yet so gentle. We thank you for loving us more than we can ever know. We thank you that we are able to reach out and touch you; able to reach out and talk with you without fear.  We want to invite you even deeper into our lives, to be the Lord of our lives.”