"Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great."
Psalms 18:35
I love this. :) ... The "thy gentleness hath made me great" part is amazing. I think of so many people who try to use force or coercion to change others or force them into compliance. And God is bigger than them all... he *could* be forcing us into anything... but instead, he is gentle. One thing that does is encourage us to develop our own strengths. Another thing is does is set an example for us, reminding us that people respond to love a lot better than they do to force. ... Gordon B Hinckley seems to me to be the epitome of the gentleness that is talked about here... he has sharp words at times, reminding people not to do horrible things to one another... but overall he is sweet and gentle... and powerful. I know that his gentleness would get me to do just about anything he asked. God is like that. He loves us so much that we can't doubt it for even a second... and when someone loves you that much, and pleads with you instead of forcing you... who is there consistently, every time we fall, helping us up, brushing us off, and encouraging us to try again... that is what encourages us to rise above ourselves and become better than we are. That makes US great.
Psalms 18:35
I love this. :) ... The "thy gentleness hath made me great" part is amazing. I think of so many people who try to use force or coercion to change others or force them into compliance. And God is bigger than them all... he *could* be forcing us into anything... but instead, he is gentle. One thing that does is encourage us to develop our own strengths. Another thing is does is set an example for us, reminding us that people respond to love a lot better than they do to force. ... Gordon B Hinckley seems to me to be the epitome of the gentleness that is talked about here... he has sharp words at times, reminding people not to do horrible things to one another... but overall he is sweet and gentle... and powerful. I know that his gentleness would get me to do just about anything he asked. God is like that. He loves us so much that we can't doubt it for even a second... and when someone loves you that much, and pleads with you instead of forcing you... who is there consistently, every time we fall, helping us up, brushing us off, and encouraging us to try again... that is what encourages us to rise above ourselves and become better than we are. That makes US great.