‘Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; ‘
Colossians 3:12
The easiest way to describe meekness is this: bringing your strength under control. To be tender and gentle. And this is not a strength everybody possesses (By everybody I mean me and maybe you).
The thing I don’t like about meekness is that it can sometimes make you look like a fool. A first-class mumu. (as we say on the savage streets of Nigeria). Because only a mumu will receive a slap on the right cheek and he will turn the other cheek. (Mathew 5:38-40) What happened to Aura for Aura?
Hello Fool
Only a fool will be cheated, taken advantage of, and he will let the other person go or win instead of dragging them to court. Because what do you mean, I worked hard and dug a well, and you came to claim it. Then I left the well for you, dug another one, and you did the same thing again? Somebody is getting sued. (Gen 26:15-22)
Only a fool will allow his nephew pick a land before him. The nephew in question shouldn’t have followed him in the first place, but here he was choosing the best lands, forgetting that Abraham was his uncle.
Beloved, if all this is foolishness, then let me announce it to you: you are called to be a fool. But the goodnews is that God uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. So I will wear this foolishness well.
Strength Subdued
A meek person is not weak. They have the capacity to respond, to react, to defend themselves, to assert themselves. But they choose to pull that strength back. Only a meek person can allow peace to prevail even when they have every right to fight. They would rather take the short end of the stick than live in constant conflict.
Beloved, meekness is not easy. I don’t naturally want to turn the other cheek. I don’t naturally want to let someone cheat me, deceive me, or take advantage of me. I would rather fight back. I would rather defend myself. But God keeps helping me. Sometimes He succeeds. And other times, I am not proud to say, but I turn a deaf ear to His nudging. But thank God, He hasn’t given up on me.
So if you examine yourself and you realise that gentleness does not come naturally to you, if meekness is not something you have developed yet, if it is not an apparel you are wearing, lean on the Lord. Ask the Holy Spirit for help.
Prayer
“Father, help me.
This meekness thing is not my area of strength.
I am trusting You to help me.
Help me be gentle in spirit,
gentle in my actions,
gentle in my words,
gentle in the way I relate with people.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Shalom
