Lent 2014, Day 34: Manly Meekness

These words on humility have me thinking about Matt. 5:5 where Jesus tells us, "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." I've always wondered what it means to be meek, maybe because I've been told I am meek and shy before. But I'm not sure that shyness and meekness are the same. Surely that's what society tells us - even Dictionary.com describes "meek" as docile, overly submissive, spiritless... So why would we ever strive to be meek? I think the one thing Dictionary got right is submission - meekness is all about humble submission, about gentleness, about teach-ability. In fact, the original context for meek relates to the idea of honing the raw power of an animal, like an ox or a horse, for use. When training a colt they would often be yoked to a more experienced animal for the younger to both ease the burden and learn to submit to the master. In our walk with God Jesus asks us to yoke ourselves with Him as He will be gentle in guiding us and help us carry the weight of the master's plan (Matt 11:29). What an awesome image! And what an awesome privilege to join with Jesus!