The Process of Molding...

Allowing myself to be molded into the kind of woman God wants me to be is not an easy process. It is painful and it is full of scary revelations. I am learning many things about myself as I strive to walk through this. Cultivating a gentle and quiet spirit is no easy task. I am learning that it really is impossible by myself.

Some things that I am slowly learning so far include...

1. Pray silently instead of opening my mouth. This keeps me from committing a number of sins. While I am praying I am asking God to cleanse my mind and heart as well. If I am just keeping my mouth shut, but thinking about what I'd really love to say it isn't changing my heart at all.

2. Cultivating a gentle and quiet spirit requires me to deal with my emotions differently. The way I reflect my anger shows the true state of my heart. I have by no means conquered this problem. It is so easy to fly off the handle, and allow anger to progress from stage to stage until it becomes rage. This is not conducive to a gentle and quiet spirit at all. To overcome this, I am striving not to ruminate. I have heard that most women tend to ruminate on things which makes the problem escalate. In order to keep my spirit where it should be, I need to forgive immediately not through my own power, but through God's. I myself do not have the kind of love it takes to forgive someone the minute they have wronged me, but God does. He wants to strengthen us and show us how to love like He does. I am trying to let Him! If we are ruled by our emotions, it is so easy to allow one little thing that happens in the day shake us to the core. God is unchanging and we need to remember that.

3. Going against what society tells me. Society tells me that physical appearance is more important than the spirit. This is a lie! This is not from God. He tells us that our souls are so much more important. It is not a sin to look nice, and God encourages us to practice healthy habits, but if all I am concerned about is how I look, then I am not in a good place spiritually. So, it is time to stop obsessing over gaining or losing a few pounds and the break-outs that inevitably happen and focus on the more important matters.

4. Thinking of what gentle and quiet mean. When I think of gentleness, I think of a soft touch, an expression of love, a tender and loving word, or all things soothing. When I think of quiet, I think stillness, calm, peace, and waiting. I am striving to be these things.

I loved this excerpt from J.R. Miller's, A Gentle Heart (1896)...

"We must never rest satisfied with any partial attainment. Just so far as we are still ungentle, rude to anyone, even to a beggar, sharp in speech, haughty in bearing, unkind in any way to a human being the lesson of gentleness is yet imperfectly learned, and we must continue our diligence. We must get control of our temper, and must master all our moods and feelings. We must train ourselves to check any faintest risings of irritation, turning it instantly into an impulse of tenderness. We must school ourselves to be thoughtful, patient, charitable, and to desire always to do good. The way to acquire any grace of character is to compel thought, word, and act in the one channel until the lovely quality has become a permanent part of our life." - J.R. Miller


I am anxious to keep working my way towards a quiet and gentle spirit, and will pray for those of you who have decided to do the same. It won't be easy, but it is always easier with encouragement and prayer. I would love to hear from you!

Father, Please reach down and guide us with Your words and Your hand. Help us to recognize Your voice, the voice of the Shepherd. Cultivate in us a quiet and gentle spirit, and use us to bless those around us. Create in us a beacon of light that shines for You, and draw others ever closer with the character you are building in us. Help us to encourage one another. In Your Name, Amen.

 Blessings In Christ,

Your Sister

Christina