Summary: Listen to episode 262 of the Inspirational Living podcast: Lift Yourself with Love | The Gentle Heart. Edited and adapted from A Gentle Heart by James Russell Miller. Inspirational Podcast Excerpt: Welcome to the Inspirational Living podcast. You can now listen to us, along with other inspirational podcasts and music at Shining Bright Radio. Check out their daily programming by visiting them at ShiningBrightRadio.com. Today’s reading was edited and adapted from A Gentle Heart by James Russell Miller, published in 1896. Gentleness is a beautiful quality. It is essential to all true character. When a person is harsh, cold, unfeeling, rude, and rough in their manner, no one speaks of their fine spirit. When one is loud-voiced, dictatorial, given to speaking bitter words and doing unkindly things, no person is ever heard saying of them, "What a lovely person they are!" They may have many excellent qualities, and may do much good, but their lack of gentleness mars the beauty of their character. No person is truly great who is not gentle. Courage and strength and truth and justness are essential elements in a strong character; but if all these be in you and gentleness be wanting, your life is sadly flawed. This world needs nothing more than it needs gentleness. All human hearts hunger for tenderness. We are made for love — not only to love, but to be loved. Harshness pains us. Ungentleness touches our sensitive spirits as frost touches the flowers. It stunts the growth of all lovely things. We naturally crave gentleness. It is like a genial summer to our life. Beneath its warm, nourishing influence beautiful things in us grow. There always are many people who have special need of tenderness. We cannot know what secret burdens many are carrying, what hidden griefs burn like fires in the hearts of those with whom we mingle in our common life. Not all grief wears the outward garb of mourning. Sunny faces often times veil heavy hearts. Many people make no audible appeal for sympathy, yet crave tenderness as they bow beneath their burden.
