A Man Of Steel

Matthew 5:5 (NIV) Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

      Meekness is often misunderstood as weakness.  To be meek does not mean that a person is a coward, timid, or will give in so that they can live in peace.  It does not mean that we are wishy-washy, indecisive or lack confidence.  It does not mean that we are shy or withdrawn and most certainly cannot be defined as “nice”.  Aristotle described meekness as “the mean between excessive anger and excessive angerlessness.”  The word is widely used in Greek literature and was easily understood in the time of Christ.  The word is used to describe tame animals and a gentle breeze.  Consider both examples.  There is perhaps nothing more soothing than caress of a gentle breeze as it flows over you and puts your senses at ease.  Yet that same wind can drive a ship across the ocean and rip up trees in the midst of a hurricane.  A lion may be tamed and can stand majestic next to a man but the strength and power contained in those jaws and legs are undeniable.  Meekness is not weakness but strength under control.
     Man is generally considered the stronger of the sexes for good reason.  Our bodies are designed to conqueror the elements, provide food, and defend our families.  Physically it is obvious that men are stronger than what some might call the “weaker” sex.  But left untamed the strength of man becomes destructive and instead of producing the security intended by God’s design destroys the very thing it was created to love and cherish.  In trying to rule through force we instead destroy.  God has called us to lead by serving, to receive by giving, to find by losing, to live by dying, to become rich by being poor, to be first by being last.  The ways of God are not attainable by force but we must place our minds and bodies under subjection.  Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 9:27, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”  That verse ends a discourse on running the race to win.  A marathon is not won by the fastest runner but by the one that can control their strength and endure to the end. 
    The old story of the tortoise and the hare teaches us that being the fastest or strongest isn’t what wins the race.  Steadfastness, endurance, patience, longsuffering, gentleness, and meekness those are the fruit of the winner.  When the crowd throws you to the ground and demands you deny Christ, when they beat you and spit on you, imprison you and torture you, when death comes for you at the hands of cruel and ungodly men that will not be the time to learn to be meek.  We must learn of Christ today when the boss passes us over for the promotion for which we worked so hard.  We must resolve to be like Jesus when our friends speak to us with words that pierce our hearts.  We must learn to be led by the Spirit as we forgive those that despitefully use us.  As we stand for Christ, reflecting His glory in every trial our meekness will be forged as strong as steel.