“When we sin, we are encouraged to bring our mess to Jesus because He will know just how to receive us.
He doesn’t handle us roughly.
He doesn’t scowl and scold.
He doesn’t lash out, the way many of our parents did.
And all this restraint on His part is not because He has a diluted view of our sinfulness. He knows our sinfulness far more deeply than we do.
Indeed, we are aware of just the tip of the iceberg of our depravity, even in our most searching moments of self-knowledge.
His restraint simply flows from His tender heart for His people.
Hebrews is not just telling us that instead of scolding us, Jesus loves us.
It’s telling us the kind of love He has: rather than dispensing grace to us from on high, He gets down with us, He puts His arm around us, He deals with us in the way that is just what we need. (Hebrews 4:14-5:4)
He deals gently with us.”
–Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 54-55.
“In me there is darkness,
But with You there is light;
I am lonely, but You do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with You there is help;
I am restless, but with You there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with You there is patience;
I do not understand Your ways,
But You know the way for me.”
Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison
Love it. Please keep bringing this Word about His gentleness and patience, we always need that example of His kindness.