Maybe we got meek all wrong

'Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.'_Matthew 5:5

Over a decade ago, I received a random note from caring friends who had been praying for me that simply said 'Thank you for your meekness' then followed it by this verse. It was a strange note to be handed, but these were individuals who I had grown to deeply trust and sensed that they were attempting to articulate some thing that they believed God had placed on their hearts.

But what does it mean to be meek?

Let me tell you about a friend of mine and the way she lives. Almost immediately after meeting her, I was able to sense that she is one of the most caring and fiercely loyal people I would know - I would later discover that some of her friends often playfully call her 'mom'.  She is humble, nurturing, and deeply emotionally sensitive and intelligent.  There is an honesty that emanates from deep within her.  Yet don't let any of that fool you, she's deeply driven. Her passion for life and meaning is not only clearly apparent but contagious.  She is inspired by the big ideas and well read but will challenge you whenever these ideas fail to land in reality or are not pragmatic. She is a leader. She is confident. She knows who she is, honest about how she is wired, and genuine in acknowledging that her journey through life is still revealing more and more. Everyone who knows her senses she is going to do some thing amazing.

My friend is not what many would think of when we think of being meek. But I would argue that she might actually embody it in the manner that Christ was speaking of when he spoke those words on a hilltop.

When I got the note from my friends, I thought of meekness the way I believe many of us often do in terms like: quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive (thank you Google). We envision a person who is in the corner or the background scenes of life - more often an observer rather than participant. This was not only bothersome but slightly discouraging.

Yet when this word is used elsewhere we see that the idea of quiet, easily imposed on, or submissive is far from what it is actually implying.

To be meek, and I love this, is to 'demonstrate power without undue harshness'.

As Christians, most of us desire to be known or seen as humble people. This then plays out in practical terms in deflecting compliments, a passiveness in engaging our gifts, and an internal struggle to name and claim how we are wired to be. There can even be moments where we envy or struggle with individuals, like my friend, who honestly and are unashamedly attempting to lean into how they are created. My friend's confidence in herself and her giftings scare people.  We often see these things as somehow wrong.

It's not. At all.

There is nothing wrong with being confident. There is nothing wrong with affirming the way you have been made to live. There is nothing wrong with identifying your call - naming it and striving after it.  Confidence can easily turn to arrogance when we forget that the way we are wired is for the benefit of others, not ourselves and then begin imposing our power onto others. Confidence when grounded in meekness is the opposite.  It comes along side others - humbly and gracefully nurturing others in appropriate ways; saying the hard truths while journeying alongside and with others; it means continuing to unpack together what it means to live out who we are in practical ways.

Meekness actually inspires others to live out the life God has called them into. Meekness speaks of the unspoken qualities of individuals, the very things that ones presence affirms in others.

So today, where do you need to finally say and admit to yourself that God has wired you for some thing? Where do you need to take another step and show the world who you really are?

The world needs your passion.

The world needs you to stop hiding behind fear.

The world needs you.

We need you.

I need you.