I was reading the closing chapter in that marvelous letter written to the Philippians. Many verses in that chapter are familiar and I hear them quoted often as words to live by.
Two examples are Vs 4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” and Vs 6: “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” [HCSB]
As I read that paragraph, I realized there is a verse between those two—one that I do not see quoted as often. Vs 5: “Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.” [HCSB]
Some translations render the word “graciousness” as “gentleness.” It is “epieikés” and it means gentle, mild, forbearing, fair, reasonable, moderate.
We live in a difficult time and amid a harsh society. Everything and everyone are dissected in the media and on social media. The national news I watch spends 29 of its 30 minutes on what is bad, and 1 minute on something good. I don’t think the ratio is really that one-sided, but good news doesn’t sell.
Social media is also often cruel. It is so easy to be snarky (something I can be guilty of at times), and so easy to even be nasty and vicious. We look for the worst and delight when we find it. Then we broadcast it to others.
As Christians, we are commanded to be gracious and gentle to others. The command carries no caveat. It does not matter the behavior of “others,” everyone is to be a recipient of our graciousness and gentleness. The reason: “The LORD is near.”
