Meek, Not Weak

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."
Matthew 5:5 (NIV)

I was reminded earlier this week that one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. Having the discipline to keep yourself in check; keeping your feelings on track. Part of that is learning how to be meek.

The trouble is, so many people now misunderstand that term. Sure, we know from popular culture that Superman's alter ego Clark Kent was 'meek and mild-mannered'. And we know from an old children's song that Jesus was 'meek and mild'... In fact, long-term readers of this blog will realise that I touched on this before; see here.That's when I talked about my passionate, 'positively assertive' self that I frequently have to keep in check...

The whole problem with meekness stems from a simple confusion - we often confuse 'meek' with 'weak'. That's because nobody wants to be seen to be weak...

As I was chewing this over, I received an email this week from Rick Warren which listed the many benefits of Christian meekness:

• The meek will be satisfied (Psalm 22:26)
• God will guide them (Psalm 25:9)
• They will become wise (Proverbs 11:2)
• They will be filled with fresh joy (Isaiah 29:19)

In fact, the Greek word used for meekness is πραΰς, which literally means "God's strength under God's control." It's not weak - not weak at all. In fact, Rick described it like a wild stallion that has now been tamed. All that strength that was there beforehand is still there, but it's now under control.

Awesome, isn't it? And I'm told this is a key way to relieve stress and eliminate worry in your life.

God's absolute power - under His perfect control...

Wow.

Positively Assertive

This post came about as I pondered a comment made on this blog by 'The Artful Dodger', who was kind enough to say that what I needed to be was a bit more 'positively assertive'.

I've given this a bit of thought, by considering the sort of public image that I like to portray; a very altruistic, mild-mannered sort of bloke (yes, that 'Superman' reference was very intentional...).

I then compare that image with what we know of the Son of Man. So many people paint themselves a picture of the Lord as "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild", absolutely forgetting the fact that here was a man who transformed his world, who was never afraid to challenge contemporary thinking, who chased out the money changers from the temple with a whip in His hand... is that assertive enough for you?

So, what about me? Why show the world this image of a meek, wouldn't-say-boo-to-a-goose kind of guy? My Clark Kent alter ego.

I use the term 'alter ego' because there is another side to me. A wild, slightly weird individual that doesn't see the light of day very often. He's a bit crazy, is very passionate about what he believes, and wants to change the world. He's very assertive - perhaps even dangerous - but because he's rather crazy I keep him on a very tight rein. He has upset people before. Occasionally he peeks out. You see his work in this blog from time to time.

It is appropriate that I would use a Clark Kent reference to initially describe myself. I suppose it's on the top of my mind as I saw 'Man Of Steel' for the first time the other day. And it struck me that we never truly saw the Clark Kent persona as a grown man - the film centred more on Kal-El far more than Clark. Apparently, Zack Snyder's take on the Superman legend deliberately shifted the focus of the film to emphasise the Kryptonian.

Kal-El uses a public face – Superman – so he can work, save the world. However, in order to live a normal life, he also changed his Clark Kent identity (given to him by his adoptive parents) into a 'everyman' figure.

Are either of these personas actually the real Kal-El? Or are each just facets of the same person...

Back to the question...

Do I need to be more 'positively assertive'?

Perhaps I do. Perhaps I need to reveal more of my wild alter ego. He has no problem with being assertive.... he wants to change the world... and he loves his Lord with a passion.