Blessed Are The Meek, For They Shall Inherit The Earth. How To Live With Each Other.

Here is a word of encourage for leaders, parents, friends, and loved ones. How should we live with each other? Jesus has some thoughts, but you may have misheard him the first time... Meekness does not equal weakness. Rather being meek is a description on how you treat other people and not a word about your strength or power. As the Greeks put it, it’s the gentle way you automatically relate to friends, as opposed to the harsh way you relate to enemies. In fact, you can not truly be meek unless you have the ability to be powerful or strong in some tangible way. Meekness is about treating people with dignity and respect, instead of trying to dominate and control them. Therefore you are blessed, if you have power, but choose not to abuse it. Jesus says that the meek will inherit the earth, not because of their power, rather for their refusal to lord it over others. But in the real world, the meek get crushed like bugs, right? Not really. Communities based on cooperation rather than domination are actually more fit and capable of thriving. Helping each other, rather than constantly dominating others, should be seen as a strength. Christians need to take a long, hard look at the way we have interacted with our culture and communities. If the meek really do inherit the earth, then the minute you start treating people as opponents who need to be defeated, you have already lost. Seeking to use your power to dominate the public square or gain power over others is a short term gain at the expense of eternal reward. Meekness is scary. Refusing to dominate and control others requires trust. Trust in people but, more importantly, trust in God. Remember, Jesus doesn’t actually say that meekness is the most effective way to achieve our goals. An inheritance isn’t something you achieve, it is something that is given. However, being meek means treating people the way Jesus would treat them and then trusting that, whether in this life or the next, God will deliver the inheritance we need.