Receiving Direction from Jesus, Our Constant Companion

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).

That can be a tall order for this day and age.  Every day it seems we are bombarded with difficult situations, people, and news headlines that can make us feel agitated, anxious, confused, and maybe even a little angry.  Through it all though, there is one who can restore hope!  One who shows us a road map on how to be humble and gentle, patient and loving. One who will always help us live out the command given in this scripture, not just with mere words, but through action and example too.  One who constantly points us back to where we belong and will be our constant companion, if we let him.  His name is Jesus. Do you know Him?

Humility and Gentleness Throughout

Christ has taken time to love us in our sins and to teach us His ways.  He called the most unlikely of people to be leaders, to follow Him, and to help share His message. As he handpicked his 12 disciples, he taught each of them how to be gentle toward each other, bearing with one another in love, as they had to look past their own sin and the sin of their brother.  He taught us all about humility as he served lowly and downtrodden and never rebuked those who sought after him for healing.  He even showed his humility and gentle mercy as he prayed for us while he hung on the cross,

“Forgive them Father, they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

Love Over Fear

Often our struggle with Ephesians (4:2) is because of fear. How do we live up to such an expectation? Fear creeps in and we forget to call upon our savior for help. We often can find ourselves feeling alone or isolated because we just don’t feel good enough when we fail to hit all the points in this scripture and begin to move God out of our equation.  This inner isolation from God can leave an opening for the evil one to tempt us to take credit for our accomplishments, forgetting to give credit and thanksgiving to God, and creating patterns of thought and behavior that alienate us from humility, thus giving us the fear of inadequacy.  This cycle is sometimes described as the God-shaped hole problem that exists in our hearts, and we try to fill it with the things of this world. This can leave us even more empty, ashamed, and fearful. The disciples too, oftentimes felt anxious, confused, and needed to be constantly reminded by Jesus to not fear. I suspect this is a reason “Fear not” is in the Bible 365 times. Jesus knows we are not perfect and that we will fear, but fear should never stop us from doing what is right and trying our best to live out this command, even if it is just small acts of love, to begin with.

Being patient, bearing with one another, can sometimes be done in the smallest of ways, like just waiting a few extra moments before speaking while letting another person finish, or by taking a few moments to pray before forming an opinion about something you have heard or read. Sometimes it may be found in letting someone else have the last word even when we think they are wrong, or in being the first to forgive someone even when you feel you are in the right. It may be found in taking time to consider and pray about someone else’s point of view even when you disagree with them. It’s in these small moments that the spirit of God can whisper wisdom and calming hope in our hearts.

Can Christ Be Your Example for Daily Life?

Let us strive to hold Christ as our model and challenge each other to go forth, striving to be the best Pilgrims of Hope that we can be, by living out Ephesians (4:2) in the smallest of ways. Let us call upon our constant companion Christ for help in all areas, and let us follow His example on how to treat others through humility, gentleness, patience, and love… and if people say, “Jesus, do you know Him?” Our emphatic YES will not only be found in our words, but in our actions as well.

Mandi-bre Watson is a passionate follower of Jesus, a devoted wife, and a mother of 4. Through her writing and speaking, she tries to be a beacon of hope as she points people to the Savior. She owns a small marketing company that helps other small businesses and is also the owner of an online boutique, Veiled in Love, where she sells her handmade veils. She is a certified Spiritual Companion through Oblate School of Theology & an active member of St. Francis of Assisi Church. Mandi-bre is also the Emcee of the 2022 Catholic Women’s Conference and serves as a member of Pilgrim Center of Hope’s Speaker Team.