Leading Change with Gentleness
 
“Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.”
Proverbs 25:15
 
I wonder if patience and gentleness might be some of the most underrated qualities in bringing about change.
 
How many times I have petitioned and nagged, or written my most eloquent email in the hope that I might right a perceived injustice, inspire a politician to make a different decision, or change the world in some small way, but patience as a mechanism for change I’m not sure I’ve ever managed to successfully employ that!
 
I wonder how the world could be changed whilst we simply stand by… maybe by trying to emulate a leader we respected or doing things slightly differently in a non-confrontational, kind and loving way! How much more beautiful the world might be if we tried to bring about change on a big scale, without ever having to be cross!
 
Maybe it looks like continually voting for a political party when they have failed you over one term – because who can manage to bring about real change in four or even eight years? Maybe it looks like sticking with a friendship or staying in a job that is hard, but valuable. Maybe it is sticking with a church or small group when they veer in a direction you are not sure about, just loving and leading by example, or maybe it is joining the dreaded homeowners association, but staying quiet and finding ways to simply love – rather than instructing – your neighbors. Maybe being present, supporting and championing where you agree, and staying silent where you do not might be a better way to go about bringing lasting change?
 
And the second part? Gentle love has more power than rebuke, kindness more than unkindness, a soft voice is easier to listen to than a raised one.
 
I am so challenged by this to sit back, to look and listen and to wait — trusting that God has everything in hand and might choose to use me more in my gentleness than my ferocity.
The Rev. Jane P. Ferguson
Associate for Family and Student Ministries
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