Thursday, January 8, 2015

(Un)desirable Quality


The word "meek" tends to get a bad reputation. People generally think meekness is a sign of weakness. It's commonly used in a derogatory fashion to describe someone who doesn't have the strength to stand up for themselves. It's a term we use to refer to people who are quiet, shy, awkward, and overly submissive.

There's an interesting angle on the word that has, unfortunately, become obsolete. When we add the concept of humility, meekness takes on another level of meaning. It isn't just about avoiding pride in our actions and speech, but rather the idea of strength under control. Meekness then describes someone who knows who they are and what they are capable of, but doesn't use their strength to dominate. It describes someone who is cautiously confident and focused on doing the right thing at the right time.

This angle on the word makes meekness more desirable for describing our character. It causes us to ask the basic question: can you control your strength or does it control you?

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