How meek are you?

One of my favorite Christmas songs is by Mariah Carey…”Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child”. ..

“Jesus, Jesus
Oh what a wonderful child
Jesus, Jesus
So lowly meek and mild
Oh new life,new hope,new joy He brings
Won't you listen to the angels sing
Glory
To the new born King”

Often, Jesus is referred to as being meek and lowly, like in Matthew 11:29:

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls." - Jesus

What did Jesus mean when he said this?

“Meek” is often translated as gentle in other versions. When we look at Jesus in the Scriptures is He always mild?

I recall reading how He cleansed the temple with a whip. What about how He denounced the hypocritical Pharisees as being corrupt like “whitewashed tombs-beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones”  (Mt 23:27 NLT).

What I love about Jesus is that He had the ability to communicate in a way which was best for each person at the time. He could do this because He knew their hearts. So perhaps meekness is not equated to weakness or mildness.

Having meekness like Jesus, is not something we as Christians can learn on our own. Such gentleness or meekness with others can only come from the aid of the Holy Spirit. I like how Blue Letter Bible explains meekness…

Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God's goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not the human will. (Gal, 5:23) -Blue Letter Bible

If we are to sincerely pursue meekness in this life, we must put down the self help books and pick up the only Book that will truly lead us down the road of sincere gentleness with mankind.

It is easy for me to show meekness when everything is going great in my life. When there is enough money for the month, when my family all loves me, when my boss is happy with me, when my children are obeying me …. In times such as these, it is easy to be gentle, kind and meek in spirit.

But what about when things aren’t going so smoothly?

When the bank is repossessing the car, when a family member is mad, when you lose your job, when the kids become defiant… how does your meekness register during these times?

We all experience tough times, but even so, Jesus is the ultimate example of grace and having calm strength even under extreme pressure. It was in His sufferings that He learned and showed us obedience.

...though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. (Hebrews 5:8,9)

The song Mariah Carey sings resonates in my heart what meekness/gentleness offers. New life. New hope. New joy. May we all seek Christ-like meekness this Christmas season and even the days following. No matter what our circumstances may be, God wants to renew our hope and joy..

Will you allow Him?