Me vs. Meek

I learned today that me and meekness have been at odds.

I guess I never would have really described myself as meek.  In fact, I might have told you that I probably got a pass on this one because my personality doesn’t lend itself to meekness.  Perhaps I even assumed that you could pick and choose the beatitudes.

That sounds ridiculous to say out loud, but I’ve probably never sat down to talk about it quite this much before.

We’re in a new series at Cross Point called “Anything But Ordinary” and we’re studying The Beatitudes.  Today Pete talked about meekness.

I think I used to assume meekness meant being:

  • mousy
  • timid
  • a doormat for others
  • submissive

But here are some things that I learned about what meekness is:

  • strength under control
  • to be angry at the right times, rather than the wrong times
  • the power of patience and the wisdom of calm
  • to surrender our desire to get ahead

That doesn’t sound so bad does it?

I think as a driven, strong, assertive leader I haven’t always seen how meekness and I could get along.

But today, I think we settled our score.

Meekness doesn’t seem all that bad now, does it?

Anyone else have trouble getting along with meekness?

You may also like

No comments

  • Lexi MacKinnon May 8, 2011  

    I also consider myself a really driven and strong person so I never really desired to be meek. I just through of it as one quality I could never attain. Today’s sermon really clear that up for me and convicted me so much that meekness is not the absence of strength, but rather strength harnessed for God’s power and his glory!

  • Lindsey May 9, 2011  

    I think one of the issues that I traditionally have had with meekness is that I can be an extreme person. I like to live in absolutes. I would prefer to be in control rather than taken advantage of, and apparently there is no middle ground with me, so at times I rejected notions of meekness. Also, there have been such confusing messages given to Christian women from both the world and the church, that I may have rebelled against meekness out of a rejection of the schizophrenic ways in which I was told to act (quiet, sweet, mousy Church girl vs. assertive, take no prisoners, I am woman hear me roar working woman).

    …But life and an incomprehensibly patient God is teaching me that no one is more authoritative or meek than Jesus and He did assert passionate, strong authority at all times but it looked different at different times…sometimes it even looked weak, which may have been when He was strongest. I will definitely be praying that the Holy Spirit develops more of this type of discernment in me.