Read It: Galatians 5:22, Isaiah 29:19, Isaiah 40:11
Live It:
In my writing on Day 1 of this Binge the Bible series I spoke about my time working in a juvenile detention center. When a child would come into the center, there was nothing gentle about their demeanor. They would be violent, use colorful language and try to engage in verbal warfare with staff and the other residents.
Since I was on staff, it was my responsibility to help the child regulate their emotions, but also regulate my own emotions because they would direct their verbal vitriol toward me. No one else was coming to help me in these interactions, I had to deal with them myself. I had weapons available to me- I could punish them, I could respond with verbal vitriol to them or I could try something different. I would find that the most effective approach was not to return verbal attacks on the child; instead, it was most effective to utilize a more gentle approach.
The approach I took is actually outlined in Isaiah 40:11. I would teach them strategies to use to regulate their emotions, I would gently lead them to change their language, and I would recognize them when they made improvements. That scripture also talks about leading the parent gently as well, I would also work directly with the parents and it would be challenging, some of them would say the same things their children would say to me. But, they would be encouraged by the improvement they were seeing in their child.
There is one final person involved in the situation that I want to address and that is myself. It would have been easy to take the vitriol to heart or be angry, but I was also gentle with myself. There was also something I would do in the moment, I would forgive the person and visualize the curse words from the child and the parents as they passed by me, not allowing them to penetrate my mind or soul. By choosing gentleness over retaliation, you create a safe place for both others and yourself to heal and grow. Let’s step out today determined to reflect the heart of the Shepherd, who promises to gather the vulnerable in His arms and lead us all gently.
Pastor James