I choose gentleness... Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

In this vow-like meditation, Lucado frames gentleness not as weakness but as a deliberate moral and spiritual discipline. The repeated “I choose” emphasizes agency: character is formed by decisions, especially in moments when anger or coercion would be easier. The lines about raising one’s voice “only in praise,” clenching a fist “only in prayer,” and making demands “only of myself” redirect common gestures of aggression into practices of worship and self-examination. The quote’s significance lies in its inversion of power: true strength is shown through restraint, humility, and accountability rather than domination.