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We
don’t use the word meek too often nowadays. The only time
I heard this word when I was growing up—other than in the Beatitudes
(“Blessed are the meek”)—was in the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy
introduces herself to Oz, the great and powerful, as “Dorothy, the small
and meek.” Naturally, I grew up thinking that to be meek was to be the
opposite of powerful: weak and powerless.
In
Scripture, meekness is not weakness and has no affinity for cowards.
Rather, it is a quiet strength acquired through self-discipline. If
meekness were an NHL hockey player, it would receive the Lady Byng Memorial
Trophy—an award bestowed upon the player who combines sportsmanship and
gentlemanly conduct with excellence in the game. Among NHL greats who have
won this trophy are Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Pavel Datsyuk,
Alex Delvecchio, and Mike Bossy—and if you know anything about any of those
players, you wouldn’t dare call them weak. However, they did indeed embody
the scriptural characteristic of meekness in their approach to the game.
They could take a hit, even a dirty one, and just keep on playing the game
instead of retaliating and ending up in the penalty box along with the goon
that roughed them up in the first place.
Unfortunately,
since Jesus is described in the Gospels (Matthew 21:5) as being meek, we
often wrongly see him characterized in art as looking weak. Not just weak,
he too often looks like a wimp. But Jesus was certainly no wimp. As a
carpenter, he would be the equivalent of a modern-day construction worker,
hard hat and all. When he called himself the Good Shepherd, we need to
recall that a shepherd was the equivalent of a cowboy. Jesus stood
toe-to-toe with the most powerful men in society and never backed down.
Even as he faced the abuse and taunts of his executioners, he did not
cower, nor did he strike back. Rather, he absorbed their most ferocious
blows, patiently trusting that God had something greater planned for him.
Smart
hockey players will tell you that the best way to give payback for a cheap
hit is to score a goal and win the game rather than respond with a cheap
shot of your own. This type of meekness—disciplined, harnessed
strength—allows one to strive for something greater instead of settling for
a petty response. One who remains meek is able to see and think clearly
and, as a result, is able to reach for higher things. Meekness is at the
heart of the saying, “Choose your battles wisely.” Because of Emmanuel—God-with-us—we
are able to absorb the blows that life and those in our lives send our way,
knowing that we have a greater weapon and a greater goal in life.
Lord,
I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who should be awarded the
Lady
Byng Memorial Trophy. Give them the strength to absorb the blows of life
filled with the meekness that allows them to trust that Gods has great
plans for their faith and courage.
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