Display Meekness

The morning of my visit with my grandchildren started out a little rough.  My granddaughter skinned her knee on my back step.  I quickly found out, she had not experienced that caliber of a scrape before.  Most of the day, she nursed her wound with a damp towel to ease her suffering and kept the weight off of her leg.  Consequently, our planned outing to a coffee shop, lunch, and ice cream, turned into more than I had hoped for.  Without her agreeing to walk, my arms became very full doting around her and her baby brother.  Hunger set in and the two of them quickly expressed their sincere desire to eat, right now!  The stroller wouldn’t open (or close for that matter), perfect strangers helped me understand modern engineering, and a walk to our lunch spot was quickly halted because everyone was frustrated.  The drive-thru was my friend this day, until the ice cream to-go spilled in the cardboard carrier and the fast food attendant was rude.  Patience had waned, justification had set in, and my attitude was glaringly apparent.  My thought to the attendant was, “You have NO IDEA what has just happened here!”  After four trips to get everyone and everything back into the house, lunch was served.  An hour and a half in the making, it was nap time, for me!

The burden of that small part of my day was not light.  It was physically, emotionally, and spiritually challenging.  It reminded me of how easily and quickly something great can turn into something so difficult.   And, how easily I can allow my pride and wrong attitude to give me permission to act just like anyone else in the world and not guard my heart and actions in difficult moments. 

Matthew 11:28-30 reads,  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Emphasis mine)

By the time I had run through the drive-thru, I practically snarled at the attendant when her actions didn’t ease my situation.  I felt justified in not being polite, to not respond with gentleness and humility of heart.  But that’s not Jesus.

In the Beatitudes we learn in Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”  This is what Jesus expects for members of his kingdom.  This should be our character on display.  But, in our own strength, this standard is too high and unattainable, except through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

This meekness refers to our disposition before God, referring to humility.  Before God and because of God, the predominant attitude of my heart ought to be meekness.  The tendency of my heart should not be frustration and pride, but gentleness and humility.  That is meekness as character strength. 

Read Psalm 37.  Meekness trusts, commits, rests, and is confident.  Meekness is strength.  As we cultivate faithfulness that trusts, joy that delights, surrender that commits, patience that waits, hope that brings confidence, the spirit of meekness will be a fruit of our character.  We are called to walk by the Spirit, be controlled by the Spirit, thus cultivating a spirit of meekness. 

As I drove home with the kids in the van, my focus was on myself, and my burden was heavy.   I was certainly weak.  Meekness depends on the Holy Spirit to bring peace and rest for the soul, a strength that can only exist in Christ.  “Jesus, help me to learn from you.”