“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5

Some folks seem to confuse meekness with shyness. But shyness is usually the result of being self-conscious; being focused on one’s self and the impression one is making upon others. True meekness is other-consciousness; being focused on making others feel comfortable and secure.

When trying to identify the components of Biblical meekness, one of the first attributes I think of is humility. Genuine humility is a recognition of the self-hood of others, the awareness that each person is as worthy of love and respect as I am. True humility accepts the validity of another person’s thoughts and feelings as being as real as one’s own, whether we agree or not.

In today’s atmosphere, meekness and humility may be mistaken for weakness, but to be humble in the face of aggression requires great strength. Strength of faith and the recognition that even those who oppose us are precious to our Creator.

When meekness enters your heart, the awe and gratitude you feel when you try to wrap your brain around the magnitude of the love of God for you, becomes meekness and humility when extended to others.

 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

God loves the world and wants everyone, whoever, to know and love him. Christian humility may help those you meet want to know God more.

Meekness is not the absence of bold or courageous faith. True meekness is the absence of fear and competition in our relationships. It is trusting God to take care of justice and fairness.

Resting on faith in his word and his unchanging love, we are free to live as inheritors of this Earth and citizens of the next.