Bible Verses to Become a More Gentle Mother
I recently published a blog post on “Ways to Become a More Gentle Mother,” and I think it’s a desire many moms can relate to! We all experience moments of feeling overstimulated, overwhelmed, and frustrated throughout the day. One of the key insights I shared in the above post to help cultivate a more gentle spirit is spending time with the Creator of gentleness—our Heavenly Father. But how do we do this? By immersing ourselves in His Word. Today, I'm excited to share Bible verses that inspire a heart of gentleness. My hope is that meditating on these Scriptures will uplift and encourage you on your own motherhood journey!
“Be angry, and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give, no opportunity to the devil.” Ephesians 4:26-27
As mothers, it's inevitable that we'll experience anger at times. I mean, we are human. The emotion itself isn't the issue—it's the sinful actions that tend to follow. Lashing out, giving the silent treatment, going to bed angry—these types of responses create a barrier between us and our children. It’s understandable to feel anger toward our children's sinful behavior, but we should avoid letting it lead us into sin. It’s important to feel the emotions that come with motherhood, acknowledge them, and then choose love over frustration.
The enemy will use anger as an opportunity for his evil schemes, so we should never let the day get away from us without making peace. It’s always better to humble ourselves, offer an apology, or take a moment to reconnect and show love before the night ends. Then, mom guilt fades, and we will be so grateful we did!
“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1-3
As believers in Yeshua/Jesus, we are called to walk as our Savior walked. To be gentle and loving, always looking to maintain the peace within our homes! By choosing to break the cycle, and respond in gentleness, we are being like Christ to our family, and setting the most worthy example for our children to follow.
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Having been bombarded with the world’s superficial definition of love, we must constantly remind our souls of what true Biblical love looks like. It is patient, kind, and free from irritability, or grudges. If we made it our goal to daily model love to our children the way God loves us, we would naturally grow more and more in His gentleness.
“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:12-15
We have countless opportunities throughout the day to embody gentleness in how we show compassion, patience, forgiveness, and love for our children. By choosing to "clothe" ourselves with these virtues, and let peace and gratitude guide our actions, we can create a more nurturing, gentle environment for our children that reflects the heart of Christ.
“Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.” 1 Peter 3:3-4
I'm so thankful that as believers in Jesus, our beauty is not established by how we look on the outside. That external worth is temporary, and upheld by society’s standards. I’m thankful that God’s beauty standards are focused on the internal and eternal. Many of us get ready everyday to “perfect” our external selves before our day begins, but what are we doing to daily “perfect” our internal? Putting into practice a gentle, quiet, calm, not reactive spirit is a beautiful way to start each day and nurture the growth of our internal beauty!
“A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1
How many times have you used a harsh word against your child only to have them imitate your harshness back, and the toxic cycle starts all over again? A gentle answer is the enemy of wrath because a fight cannot occur with only one participant. We must do our best to pause and respond gently to our children, as oppose to adding more gasoline to the fire with harsh words. Doing this will help model healthy and acceptable communication for our children, and preserve the peace in our homes!
“Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” Proverbs 16:24
We can counter the temptation to lash out and speak words we will regret by getting into the habit of choosing to only speak words that build up, are gracious, and full of compassion. Can you imagine how much more our children would thrive simply by hearing our life-giving words?!
“Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” Titus 2:3-5
We are called to practice self-control in every area of our lives, but especially in our interactions with our husband and children. Exercising control over our words is a powerful way to cultivate gentleness.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:22-24
Gentleness is one of the fruits of the Spirit we have access to as we follow and spend time with Christ. It is the proof of His strength in our lives! We must strive each day to shed our "old selves," and the sinful, ungodly traits that oppose God, in order to embrace and embody His gentleness.
“But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Psalm 86:15
This verse has become my guiding verse for motherhood lately. Reflecting on the incredible grace of our Heavenly Father—so loving, faithful, and compassionate—inspires me to become more like Him. If the God of the universe can be so loving, forgiving, and gentle with a sinner like me, how can I not extend that same love, forgiveness, and gentleness to my own child?
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29
How beautiful is our Shepherd’s gentle and humble heart for us? He is not our demander. He is our teacher. This is a beautiful example of the safety and rest I want to provide for my children.
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;” James 1:19
This verse is a great guide for how we can interact with our children, and how we can raise them to interact with others. If we are slow to speak, we will be quicker to listen, and more likely to cultivate empathy towards understanding the hearts of our children. It will certainly take practice, but when we live out this verse in action, we are able to truly communicate and love others the way God intended.
“He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.” Isaiah 40:11
What a beautiful picture of God’s love for us! Much inspiration can be gathered from this one verse. In this passage, God is compared to a shepherd who tenderly cares for His flock, especially the vulnerable lambs, by gathering them in His arms and leading them with gentleness. He doesn't beat, or scold them into submission. How beautiful for us to follow in His footsteps and gently gather/lead our children the same way!
“She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” Proverbs 31:26
The teaching of kindness. Wow. For those of us struggling to be more gentle, have we believed the lie that the only way to “make lessons stick” for our children is through harshness? If we make it our goal to have kindness on our tongue at all times, we will become more wise, and our teaching will be much more well received.
“Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;” Philippians 4:5
This verse encourages us mothers to display gentleness throughout all of our actions. Our gentleness will serve as a witness to our children of God’s nearness. It will give them a tiny taste of their heavenly Father's gentleness. What a blessing!
“Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.” Proverbs 14:29
When we take time to slow down in how we respond towards our children, we will be able to listen and understand them much more. When we react in haste, we are only being foolish.
“As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.” Psalm 103:13
We are blessed to have the Lord over everything show us compassion as we strive to obey Him. If we truly want to emulate our Heavenly Father, we must not fail to show our children compassion in their weaknesses.
I hope you found these Bible verses helpful for encouraging the Fruit of the Spirit, Gentleness, into your life as a mother! Share this post with a fellow mom, and share any thoughts/additional verses that inspire you to become more gentle in the comments section below. Happy gentle-sowing!
Cool, Mom, and Collectedly Yours,
