Let everyone see that you are gentle and kind. The Lord is coming soon.
Philippians 4:5
Have you ever been so stressed and anxious that you were grumpy, irritable, snappy, and perhaps even angry? Have you ever lashed out at someone because of your stress? When I was around 5 or 6, I had my bicycle and rode around the car while Dad was working on it. Even at a young age, I had learned to pick up on certain cues. For example, when Mom would take a deep breath and count to 10 slowly, someone was about to get in trouble, or if Dad said "Oh my aching back" that was NOT the time to get his attention. Dad had let go with "Oh my aching back" for the third time when I wobbled and fell off my bike, scraping my knee and there was blood. I said, "Dad, I'm bleeding." Without moving from under the hood, he took a deep breath, let out a low growl, and snapped, "WHERE'S YOUR MOTHER?"
When we are under stress, we get frustrated. When we get frustrated, we tend to lash out. When we lash out, we are not being gentle nor are we being kind. My long-suffering Bride knows that there are times when I am not exactly patient (I heard you gasp in surprise). I have been known to get down right crabby when I get frustrated or stressed. I am one of those people who believe that if I arrive on time, then in my mind, I'm late. I would rather be 15 minutes early than a single second late. My Bride doesn't think as I do, when has led to my crabbiness more than one. But I'm learning. I need to example to my Bride, and everyone around me, that God is working with me to be gentle and kind.
There's an old adage which says "You can attract more flies with honey than with vinegar." Think about it this way, you can attract more people with kindness and gentleness than with stress and crabbiness. Take from that what you will.
