But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Galatians 5:22 (NKJV)

Gentleness is the eighth attribute of the fruit of the Spirit.

Praotēs which means "temperate, measured," is the Greek word for gentleness. It is closely associated with magnanimity and forgiveness. Gentleness is a strength, not a weakness. It is the ability to act with restraint when one has a great deal of power, dominance, and authority. This explains why God frequently shows us grace when we least deserve it. God could have dealt with us according to our sin and punished us for our wrongdoings, but He did not. Instead, God provided a perfect way for us to be saved through Christ.

God wants us to be gentle with our words and actions towards others, just as He is with us. How? We are to imitate Jesus.

When Jesus was on earth, He showed us how to have a gentle attitude and how to act gently. Though Jesus was sovereign over all things, He became a servant to all. Our Lord demonstrates here that it takes someone who is truly secure in themselves to do things that are beneath their status or dignity. To be gentle, one must have a genuine character and true strength. This is where the Holy Spirit comes in to help us and accomplish what we could never accomplish on our own.

By walking with the Spirit, He will transform us to bear fruit that reflects a supernatural relationship with God.

When someone hurts us, our natural reaction is to hurt them back. When we are willing to rest in the Spirit, we can turn the other cheek and do good to those who seek to harm us. We can offer grace and mercy to others instead of retaliation and revenge because we have found grace in Christ. This is because when God dwells fully in your heart, you have nothing to lose. When you struggle, keep your eyes on Christ and your heart on His perfect love, and you will produce the fruit He desires.