Meekness

Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” ~Matthew 11:29-30

Meekness is teachability; a willingness to be taught, corrected and helped. Meekness is learned, not inherited. It shows in the kind of attention we pay to one another, the tone of voice we use, the facial expression. The opposite of meekness is sulking. Vindicating ourselves is not meekness. Jesus was despised, rejected, reviled, pierced, crushed, oppressed, and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. A steadfast look at Jesus instead of at the injury makes a very great difference. ~Elisabeth Elliott

As I have ruminated over Matthew 11:28-30, this week, I have longed to understand meekness. The above definition given by Elliott was revealing and honestly, a punch in the gut. I have yearned to be teachable throughout my life. For me, being teachable is of great value. It shows humility of heart, a willingness to seek to understand first before being understood, and a desire to grow and change. Yet, as my life has been pressed in this area in ways that have been uncomfortable and at times, excruciating, I have been woefully disappointed to realize how much I desire to be understood and vindicated, first and foremost. I have found myself nursing my wounds far more than gazing at Jesus. It has been an internal battle to force myself, repeatedly, to shift my gaze off of myself and onto Jesus and others.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. ~Philippians 2:3-4

The above verses have long been some of my favorite and ones which I would like to emulate. Yet, in the day to day grind, when things get real… and hard, it seems that these verses literally feel unattainable.

I believe Jesus is asking each of us to surrender all preconceived notions of how to “do this life” and “Come to Me; Learn from Me” and then, and only then, will we truly “find rest for our souls.” Almost without even thinking or knowing, we inadvertently choose to lug around a burdensome load He never intended for us to carry. If we are yoked to Jesus, meaning: attached, connected and fastened to Him, He promises our load will be easy and light. It is in releasing our idea of what is best, releasing our stubborn tendencies to continue operating how we always have, that He alleviates the oppression we are under. In this, we are able to finally experience the freedom, levity and peace that can only be found as we learn from Him.

The weapon of meekness counters all enmity, with the offer on an unshielded heart. ~Dietrich Hildebrand

Henri Nouwen is one of my favorite authors. He was an intelligent, impactful, successful, Godly man. In his latter years, he forewent his prestigious positions at Harvard and Yale, among other illustrious places, to spend, what would be his final years, caring for Adam, a man with severe disabilities. Adam was unable to speak, walk or care for himself. Henri became Adam’s assistant in a community for individuals with disabilities called L’Arche Daybreak. In reading of Henri’s profound discoveries as he lived life with Adam, his words reverberated with meekness. While it was apparent Henri was helping Adam in every tangible way needed, it was in fact Henri, who was chiefly taught, corrected and immensely helped, through their relationship.

Some of the ways Henri described Adam include, “Adam is the most broken of us all, but without any doubt the strongest bond among us all. Adam’s peace is first of all a peace rooted in being. Being is more important than doing. Do a lot less; be a lot more. Right there where we are weakest, the peace which is not of this world, is hidden.”

But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. ~Psalm 37:11