We might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. — 1 Thessalonians 2:7.
A good measure of a person is how they treat others, especially those who work for that person. I knew in an instant about the character of a lawyer who I was up against when I saw the kind of demands he/she put on the staff, paralegals, or younger associates. This became even more obvious when we went to DC, and I saw how some of our nation’s leaders treated their staff. Many, I am sorry to say, weren’t gentle.
Now, to some extent our society its partially to blame for people lording it over others. We are used to hero worship, celebrity, and kowtowing to people in authority. When everybody around you is telling you how great you are it is easy to let the praise go to one’s head.
But St. Paul reminds us to be “gentle” no matter what position of authority or ardor we may hold. It is a tough lesson to learn, but one worth working on day after day. Best to be known as one who was “gentle among you.”
Good message!