Meditation: GENTLENESS

“Thy gentleness hath made me great.” -- Psalm 18:35 Today I want to practice gentleness – to feel the incredible greatness that comes from giving up all resistance to the present moment. Indeed, that’s what gentleness really is – a complete lack of resistance to what’s happening right now. If we resist, struggle against, or try to change the present moment, then we are obviously not being gentle. Gentleness means allowing – relaxing and letting the universe unfold as it must. The word “must” is important here, because it implies, correctly, that the present moment is exactly as it must be, and it would be foolish – insane, even – to try to resist or change it. Being un-gentle and attempting to alter the present would be as crazy as jumping up and trying hard to stay in the air, fighting against the law of gravity. Or, imagine someone trying feverishly to make tomorrow come faster. We would say he was acting crazily, and we should say the same about someone who struggles to change the present moment. The most wonderful aspect about being gentle – giving up all resistance and becoming an “allower” – is that it enables us to partake of the greatness of each moment. For it’s true that the greatness of the universe – every bit of it – resides only in the present, and if we totally accept the present, than we become part of that greatness. Notice that we don’t become great by being gentle; we simply participate in the greatness of the immeasurable universe. By being gentle today, I can experience, and be part of, the greatest power of all.