"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5 NRSV)
Erik Hamilton defines meekness as "Authority under control." I would add to this that meekness means both choosing and fighting our battles wisely.
My greatest picture of meekness is Christ on the cross, the God of the universe bowing to corrupt forces and allowing them to discredit, strip, deface and ultimately kill him. He could have fought and won the lesser battle with the sinner. Instead, he fought and won against sin itself, and the very forces of Hell.
Matthew 5:5 is one of 9 seemingly upside-down statements made by Jesus, which many refer to as "The Beatitudes." Here's the irony: those who use their strength to exploit, overpower and dominate others generally do so in attempt to conquer, to have dominion over the earth. In doing so, they offend and alienate the true King of kings, the only true source of eternal power and dominion. So in the end they lose themselves and their claims to the earth.
But in meekness we choose to surrender to God rather than trying to dominate others. We surely do fight, but we fight the right battles in the right ways. And when God's power owns us, we are truly free. In doing so, we are setting ourselves up for a greater inheritance, along with deeper freedom and joy along the way.
Image by Luciano Ramos Solari from Pixabay
