Wildflowers: Week Two | Euodia & Syntyche the ThistlesSample

Joy and Gentleness

Those of us who relate to the thistle understand how much we need to compensate for some of our thornier traits. True confession, I test as an enneagram eight. That designation is not traditionally a female type. As I look at the list of famous people who are an eight, most of them are men: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Oskar Schindler, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mikhail Gorbachev, and Donald Trump. A scant few women make the list: Golda Meir, Indira Gandhi, Serena Williams, Rosie O'Donnell, and Barbara Walters. None of my fellow female eights are considered touchy-feely. In fact, they're awfully confrontational. But they are also leaders in their areas of expertise.

The Enneagram Institute gives the following personality profile for eights: "Eights are self-confident, strong, and assertive. Protective, resourceful, straight-talking, and decisive, but can also be ego-centric and domineering. Eights feel they must control their environment, especially people, sometimes becoming confrontational and intimidating. Eights typically have problems with their tempers and with allowing themselves to be vulnerable. At their Best: self-mastering, they use their strength to improve others' lives, becoming heroic, magnanimous, and inspiring."

Prodding and poking comes natural to a thistle. But Paul wanted them to develop gentleness and joy. That does not come naturally for us, but that is no excuse. We must pray for God to provide it supernaturally. After all, these attributes are listed among the fruit of the Spirit: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other" (Galatians 5:22-26, NIV).

Oddly, monarch butterflies make great besties to thistles. Something so fragile with gossamer wings settles upon the spindly thistle to enjoy its nectar and spread pollen wherever it goes next. Therefore, it is possible for a thistle to adapt and adjust to offer gentle assistance to her more sensitive friends. Now, that's worth rejoicing about.

Read the verses below and answer the following questions:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand" (Philippians 4:4-5).

Practical Observation

1. What did Paul want the Philippians to do and how often?

Rejoice and rejoicing flood the pages of the Bible. One tips its hat to the other. Rejoice literally means to feel joy. Scripture draws a big difference between joy and happiness. Happy is temporal, and joy is eternal. Happy depends on circumstances while joy springs from the Lord. 

2. What admonition did Paul repeat? Why do you think he did that?

3. What is the next attribute that is to be present in the lives of the Philippians?

4. Who should receive this second attribute?

Gentleness means moderation, forbearance, or reasonableness. Christians should be characterized as those who are gentle in their attitude toward others. It takes all the self-control we can muster to respond gently to some people we encounter. "A gentle answer turns away wrath" (Proverbs 15:1, emphasis added).

5. What final phrase makes you think these two attributes are necessary? 

Personal Application

a. What kind of things make you rejoice? Circle those that are physical (like ice cream) and underline those that are eternal (like God's Word).

b. Paul repeats the admonition to rejoice because it doesn't always come naturally. Journal about something that at first made you grumble but eventually made you glad. 

c. List some ways you should live based on the knowledge of the Lord's soon return. Did that list include gentleness? Why or why not?