Imago Dei Christian Community

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By faith we eagerly await, through the Spirit, the righteousness for which we hope.

Gal. 5:5

The character of righteousness is something that is latent in every person born.  Within each of our lives, there are “rumours of glory” that suggest to us what God recognizes as our righteous potential.  As though eager to see His own reflection, the Lord asks each one of us,  “What does righteousness look like in you?”

Though righteousness is often spoken of in the Bible, it is a word that Scripture rarely defines for us.  It seems to go without saying that we already know what this word should mean for us, and that our instincts about how we fall short of it are also a God-given hunch.  The righteous person, according to the book of Proverbs, is simply one who leads a blameless life (Pr. 20:7).  He/she walks a path that is “level” (Isa. 26:7) and that ultimately leads to holiness (Rom 6:19).

In the Bible, “the righteous” are a subset of humanity who share a distinct status with God along with all the privileges that come with that status.  We read, for instance, that the righteous enjoy special access to God ( Pr. 15.29) making their prayers particularly effective (James 5:16).  Righteousness is both an indicator as well as a determinant of God’s blessing in our lives.  The book of Samuel, for instance, tells us that it is according to righteousness that the Lord rewards every person (1Sa. 26:23).

Though we appropriate this gift by faith alone (Rom. 4:12), the Holy Spirit helps each of us find our own path of righteousness according to the value we place on, and the way we put into practice, the virtues we cherish.  The Psalmists therefore models the desire for such guidance when he asks God to “open for me the gates of righteousness” (Ps. 118:19).  Our participation is also a factor in cultivating this gift.  That is why the prophet Hosea encourages us to sow seeds of righteousness in our lives (Hos. 10:12).  Paul, as well, exhorts Timothy to “train” himself in righteousness (2Tim. 3:16).

Righteousness is exalted in heaven for the simple reason that it reflects the very character of God.  In righteousness we become more like God and are thus more able to perceive God in our lives.  God’s purity is recognized only to the degree that we are congruent with that purity (Mt. 5:8).  The prophet Malachi anticipates this when he says “in righteousness I will see your face” (Mal. 3:18).

Our ultimate destiny then is to more fully reflect God’s righteous character.  As Paul quite plainly tells the Ephesians, we were “created to be like God in true righteousness” (Eph. 4:24).  As we anticipate this destiny, may we hunger and thirst for such righteousness—the fruit of Jesus’ increasing influence in our lives.

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.

1John 3:2

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out. Rom. 11:33

Etch-ing (ech’ing) n. 1. A process of engraving in which grooves are made onto a metal plate, either scratched with a needle or by the corrosive action of acid. The grooves are then filled with ink and pressed onto paper.

Years ago I took a course in etching and learned an important lesson about my relationship with God. It had to do with the deepening initiative of God’s love in my life and my feeble efforts to resist it. As I was working with a particular method of etching I recognized something very similar to the dynamics of my spiritual life.

In this form of etching, a metal plate is covered with beeswax. Once the wax has hardened, a fine needle is used to draw an image by scratching through the dried wax and exposing the bare metal. The resulting line is as thin as one could ever hope to draw. Once the drawing is finished the plate is then dropped into an acid bath. The acid etches the exposed parts of the metal, whereas the waxed parts are protected from the acid. The deeper the acid etches into the metal, the more ink the groove will hold, making a darker line on the final paper print.

As the metal is exposed to the acid an interesting phenomenon of oxidization takes place. The metal reacts to the acid and bubbles begin to form all along the lines of the drawing. This represents a minor problem for the artist as these bubbles create a protective layer over the line, preventing the acid from etching any deeper into the metal. If the artist wants the lines in the drawing to etch deeper, the bubbles must be removed with a feather, passing it gently over the plate. Once the bubbles are removed, the metal is once again exposed to the acid, allowing it to continue its deepening work.

As I observed the slow process of the acid etching into the metal I recognized how similar this was to the action of God in my life. As I watched the protective bubbles form over the lines I could see a similarity to my own ways of creating protective layers in my relationship with God—layers that shield me from the deepening action of love. And as the feather gently removed the bubbles from the line, exposing the metal once again to the acid, I also recognized the similar action of God’s hand gently removing the bubbles I use as a shield against His intimacy. Though God’s action exposes me to the very thing I am resisting, I know that the Lord does so in order that love might be etched more deeply in my life.

 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Phil. 4:5

 The spiritual life, most simply defined, is the art and discipline of remaining present to God.  You would think nothing could be easier for us to do.  But to remain in the presence of God requires certain virtues that are congruent with divinity.  Foremost among these virtues is that of gentleness.

Gentleness makes us hospitable to God’s presence.  In his book Spirituality and the Gentle Life, Adrian Van Kaam affirms the benefits of cultivating such an inner disposition.   He writes,

Gentleness is an important condition for the spiritual life. The life of the spirit emerges and grows in gentility. A gentle life style affects all my ways. It changes my view of myself and others. It makes me work, speak, feel and act in a different manner. It creates an atmosphere that is truly conducive to worship and surrender.

 Gentleness, of course, begins at home.  If we are not gentle with ourselves we cannot expect to be gentle with others, nor with God.  To be gentle with myself is to welcome all I see inside me as precious, fragile and vulnerable.  Van Kaam recognizes that we must approach our fragile self as God does—with gentleness and kindness.   He writes,

A first step to inner gentleness is to gratefully love myself as a unique divine gift and to admit and accept the very weakness which makes me the fragile earthen vessel of this treasure. Gentleness with self is possible only when I recognize and “own” the vulnerability of who I am.

To live gently is to live in Divine likeness.  Jesus said of Himself,  “I am gentle and humble in heart.”  When I lose my gentleness, I lose a basic point of fellowship with the presence of God.  Gentleness then is a pathway to prayer.  It is one of the means by which we remain in Christ’s love (Jn 15:1). 

But there are movements within me that are obstacles to this virtue—the turmoil that thwarts the gentleness of my relationship with God.  When it comes to the finesse of spirituality I often feel more like the proverbial “bull in a china shop.”   Van Kaam describes the humble and childlike disposition that gentleness requires of us.  He writes,

Most fragile is my presence to the Divine; only grace can maintain it. Awareness of the Divine is subtle and sublime, of such fragility and finesse that it may disappear the moment my willfulness and pride take over and try to force the felt presence of this Infinite Guest. The divine gift of gentility thus keeps at bay any arrogant movement on my part that might chase away the loving presence of the Holy.

To be gentle means to be hospitable to God’s spirit.  To maintain this state however requires that we be attentive to the ever-changing ground of our being so that we recognize early the first signs of its hardening.  If we don’t catch these changes at the onset they de-sensitize us to the subtle presence of God.  Van Kaam describes his own relationship to gentleness lost, and to its recovery.

I drop my prayers to gain time for action. I skip moments of rest and recollection. No longer do I find time to gently nurse my soul. I have put myself into captivity. Now is the time to call upon the Lord. He will bring me back from my captivity. He will grace me with gentility. Instead of my tasks captivating me, I shall carry them. He will help me to break their overly busy hold on my life, teaching me how I can maintain myself gently in regard to them. He will help me to still and quiet my soul, to nurse it back to life as gently as a nursing mother.

Gentleness in our lives fosters a more consistent awareness of relationship with God.  It is a virtue to be embraced by all who cherish the spiritual life. There are beautiful prayers throughout Van Kaam’s book that express a sincere desire for the gentle life.  I have compiled some of these below for you to claim for yourself in the coming weeks.  See what changes you notice in the disposition of your soul as you make gentleness a focus of your prayers.  Let it be the grace that you seek from God this week.  Explore for yourself how this Christ-like virtue helps you remain more consistently in God’s presence.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.                           

Mat. 11:29

Daily Prayers for a Gentle Soul                                                                        (from Adrian Van Kaam’s Spirituality and the Gentle Life)

• Let the awareness of your presence instill gentleness in my soul; gentleness toward myself too, the broken mirror of your love. Let me share in your forgiving presence of my fragile life.
• Give me the wisdom to make time in my day for a gentle nursing of my soul. Free me from the need for achievement.  Make my life less forceful, more gentle, centered in you alone.
• Let my life be a gentle preparation for the pure and precious moments of listening to you
• You who share my humanity, be my Master. Teach me how to be mild with my self and with others, and how to bear lightly my daily burden.
• Holy Spirit, teach me to be your gentle follower in all situations.