A reflection inspired by Ps 18:35
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Your Gentleness Has Made Me Great
I did not become
Who I am
By the thunder.
Not by the earthquake,
Nor by the fire.
But by
Your whisper.
When I stumbled,
You did not shame me.
When I doubted,
You did not turn away.
When I failed,
You did not fold Your arms
Or shake Your head.
You simply came closer.
Again.
And again.
You knew the fears
I had hidden,
The questions
I had never spoken,
The wounds
I had learned to live with.
You did not demand
That I become strong.
You loved me
Until I was.
Patiently,
Almost imperceptibly,
You untied the knots
Within my soul.
You taught me
That power
Can kneel.
That authority
Can wash feet.
That greatness
Can carry a towel.
Your kindness
Disarmed me.
Your mercy
Undid me.
Your smile
Called me out
From behind the walls
I thought would protect me.
I have known
Your mighty arm.
I have seen
Your miracles.
I have watched
Mountains move.
But none of these
Has changed me
As deeply
As Your gentleness.
It was Your gentleness
That taught me
How to bless.
Your gentleness
That gave me
A father’s heart.
Your gentleness
That taught my hands
To rest gently
Upon another’s head.
And when they weep,
I wonder
If they too
Are meeting
Not me—
But the God
Who never crushes
A bruised reed,
The Shepherd
Who carries lambs,
The Father
Who runs,
The Saviour
Who calls broken women
“Daughter.”
Looking back now,
I can trace
The fingerprints
Of gentleness
Across every chapter
Of my life.
The places
Where You might have judged,
You restored.
Where You might have condemned,
You embraced.
Where You might have passed by,
You stayed.
And now,
If there is
Anything beautiful
In my life—
Any love,
Any wisdom,
Any tenderness,
Any blessing
That flows through me—
Its source
Is not my strength.
It is this:
Your gentleness
Has made me great