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.
