31 Days of Femininity: A feminine woman is gentle

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"They call woman sometimes, in thoughtless flattery, an angel, but here an angel in sober truth she is, a messenger sent by God to assuage the sorrows of humanity. The worn traveler who has come through the desert with his life and nothing more; the warrior faint and bleeding from the battle; the distressed of every age and country-long instinctively for this Heaven-provided help. Deep in the sufferer's nature, in the hour of his need, springs the desire to feel a woman's hand binding his wound or wiping his brow-to hear soft words dropping from a woman's lips....Woman was needed in Eden; how much more in this thorny world outside! Physically, the vessel is weak, but in that very weakness her great strength lies. If knowledge is power in department, gentleness is power in woman's."

Taken from the book Home-Making by J.R.Miller. I highly recommend this book if you have never read it before. Just reading a few pages refreshes me and gives me renewed strength. 

"Gentleness is power in woman." That line thrills my heart. The world would look at that and say it is an oxymoron, a complete contradiction of thought. 

But we know that gentleness can yield great results in women who embrace it. 

"Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands: that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear."  I Peter 3:1-2

The Bible gives clear direction to wives of unbelievers:

Be gentle. 

Be quiet. 

Be still. 

Be chaste.

This verse has wisdom that can be applied to other scenarios in life outside of an unequally yoked marriage. If we go into situations as a roaring lion, wanting to strongly defend our position, we do not give the appearance of a gentle and quiet woman and we actually weaken our influence upon the situation. There is a time to talk, as the above verse implies, the wife will win the unbelieving over by her chaste conversation. Not by yelling, screaming, and always asserting that she is right. 

"A soft answer turneth away wrath; but grievous words stir up anger" Prov. 15:1

The definition of chaste is:

"In language, pure: genuine: uncorrupt: free from barbarous words and phrases, and from the quaint, affected, extravagant expressions."  Taken from  Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary .

To be a feminine woman is much more than looking the part, and taking delight in dresses, flowers, tea cups and pretty jewelry. It is actually acting the part. But we will get into that more later in the series. For now, I wanted to continue to focus on a number of godly women in the scriptures who display the characteristics of femininity for us.

**If you would like a link up at the end of each week so you can share a blog post of your own on the topic, could you please leave a note letting me know that you are interested and I'll get one up! Thank you!**