Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. What beautiful words! Shall we reflect on them?
When Jesus was preparing His very first sermon, He understood that it would be the calling card of His mission. The people who came to listen to the Young Teacher were greatly surprised and disappointed. Their ideas and expectations concerning the Messiah were completely shattered because they were offered something that did not fit their culture or way of thinking at all. But Jesus presented to the world the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven—principles by which He Himself lived and which were written in His heart. It is very easy to speak about kindness and meekness when you are kind and meek. Christ’s meekness was unique. In it, strength and authority were harmoniously joined with love and tenderness. Jesus did not ask the religious leaders of His people how He should teach. He Himself was the unsurpassed Teacher, Who never made mistakes or became confused in His reasoning. Jesus knew what to say, what to teach, and what to do, and He carried out His ministry in a spirit of meekness.
When the Lord twice cleansed His Temple from defilement, how brief He was in His judgment! He allowed the Father to reveal Divine power through His human nature, and no one dared oppose Christ in this act. The wicked quickly left the holy place, and no one raised his voice against such a display of authority. Then Jesus resumed His customary work: receiving and healing the sick, forgiving sinners, teaching the ignorant, bringing joy to the sorrowful, and enriching those who thirsted. People were drawn to Jesus, and that same attraction can still be seen today.
The essence of Christ’s teaching is to humble my proud heart, open my mind to the awareness of sin, reveal to me the beauty of God’s character, and restore the image of God in my heart.
God teaches me humility, and for this purpose He allows many different kinds of people to be present in my life. The Lord helps me to be victorious in my interactions with each of them by using God’s Spirit and God’s instruments of influence.
At the end of 2015, I received a contract to renovate a house, and the Lord brought Ukrainian nationalists onto my crew. That is what they called themselves. The influence of the media had already formed in me a particular position regarding the events in Ukraine, and this nearly cost me my life and health. I had to learn a great deal in relation to politics—or, more precisely, to listen more and speak less about it, and eventually to leave it altogether. The Lord revealed to me that this is an area of life into which it is not worth delving, for it belongs to this world. I chose the path of love, friendship, and meekness. As a result, I learned much. My coworkers and I became friends, and they became interested in hearing me speak about my friendship with Jesus.
Later, angry people appeared in my life who depended on me and were under my authority. Yet love found common ground with them as well, and we get along in every matter.
I have also had many conversations with members of other denominations. I did not argue with them; I simply looked for paths to their hearts. We have wonderful relationships. We can listen to one another without entering into disputes. Truth sounds beautiful when it is presented in a spirit of meekness and with the authority of Christ, with an understanding of what is being discussed and how important it is.
The meek and quiet spirit to which Christ’s Apostles call us adorns not only sisters, but brothers as well.
God also sent medical missionaries into my life who surpass me in every respect. Yet love and friendship found common ground with them too, and we became friends forever.
Being meek and considering others better than yourself is not so bad. Although people see the superiority over you that your humility grants them, they begin to respect you and even listen to you at times. Sometimes they ask questions and wait for an answer. Some even invite you to visit and desire close fellowship. They want me to speak about love to their friends and loved ones as well.
There are also those who have no need of you, whether you are meek, sociable, or happy. But for the most part, people want a true friend who will understand them, never betray them, help them, and listen to them; yet they do not want Jesus to be that Friend. They need a human being, and when they see such a person in you, they quickly draw near and become attached to you in their hearts. Through you they then come to know Jesus, and they begin to build their own personal relationship with Him.
What happiness it is to be meek!
Everyone is better than you; everyone is wiser, stronger, and more wonderful than you. As a result, you begin to be surrounded by the best people in the world, and they understand this from the way you treat them.
A meek disposition helps me discover many precious qualities in another person’s soul. If I come with my pride and ambition and make my friend understand that I am somebody while he is nothing, where will such a relationship lead? I think I will be helped to fall into the mud upon which I decided to build my life—and the sooner and more painfully this happens, the better it will be for me. Meekness, however, opens a beautiful path to people’s hearts. Even the proud begin to admire you.
Meekness adorns a person not only at work, but also in the family. It is an imperishable beauty so attractive that one wants to admire it continually.
A meek person knows how to listen and hear another person out, seeking to understand the root and essence of the matter. He takes an interest in another person’s life and begins to think about that person’s well-being and happiness, planning how to show love and friendliness.
A meek spirit is the eyes of Christ through which I see the entire picture, understand the cause and the problem, and see a way out, while still waiting for permission and an invitation to take part in someone’s needs or life.
Meekness gives me contentment with what I have without excluding prospects for growth and development in what is beautiful. When I find myself in a difficult situation and do not know how to behave or what to do, the example of Christ’s life—His attitude toward people, His calmness, and His strength—reveals much to me and teaches me many things. His meekness, even though He possesses supreme strength and authority, is astonishing.
Even now, the Lord humbly offers me the most precious things He has for me: gold refined in the fire, white raiment, and eyesalve, all for my own good. Then He meekly stands at the door of my heart and does not wish to enter without my permission. I look, marvel, am deeply moved, and open the door.
Unfortunately, many never appreciated the beauty of meekness and left their doors closed forever. They want a fearsome king who decides something and does it without consulting anyone. And they will receive one.
Meekness without love is like a ship without an engine or sails. It is cowardice, weakness of spirit, faintheartedness, fear, humiliation, and lack of willpower. Love lays the proper foundation for meek behavior. Meekness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit which, together with the other qualities of God’s Spirit, is always present in a converted heart and awaits its development.
Meekness also means understanding that I am meek and studying the principles of such a condition of spirit.
Although every person may have a different temperament and our characters may differ from one another, meekness adorns every saved soul and becomes its eternal seal as a sign that it belongs to Heaven.
Bible verses for this chapter:
Galatians 5:22–23; Matthew 5:5; 11:28–30; 21:5; Zechariah 9:9; Romans 2:3–4; 2 Corinthians 10:1; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 4:1–3; Philippians 4:5; Colossians 3:12–14; 1 Timothy 6:10–11; James 1:21; 3:13; 1 Peter 3:1–4