Character Close-Up: Meekness (Part 1)

Hello!  So, in keeping with our theme of surrender and laying aside our will this month, I thought that it would be appropriate to study the character trait  of meekness.

I'm going to try and adhere to a sort of outline for this post because I think a post defining something should be easy to follow.  First, I'm going to explain what the word meekness means using three dictionaries which are all quite a bit different from each other.  Second, I'll provide verses from the Bible on why we should cultivate meekness, and third, I'll explain how to cultivate meekness. 

Okay, let's get started.  (As a disclaimer, throughout this post, I will treat humility and meekness as the same thing)

First, what is meekness exactly?  To the world, it doesn't seem like a quality anyone would want to try and cultivate.  As we shall see, it is one of the most essential character traits in the Christian life.  To define meekness, I turned to the 1828 Webster's Dictionary.

From the 1828 Webster's:

Meekness: Softness of temper; mildness; gentleness; forbearance under injuries and provocations.

1. In an evangelical sense, humility; resignation; submission to the divine will, without murmuring or peevishness; opposed to pride, arrogance and refractions.

Still from the dictionary:

Meekness is a grace which Jesus alone inculcated (taught persistently) and which no ancient philosopher seems to have understood or recommended.  

Boy, I wish today's dictionaries referenced the Bible!  There's one point I want to highlight in this definition.  Notice the part where it says "submission to the divine will."  This is the surrendering part!  You can't live a surrendered life without meekness!  The two go hand in hand.  

Alright, at this point I'm going to insert a quote that I think illustrates meekness very well.

From Christianity Today - Strength in Meekness, "Perhaps meekness is strength that is submitted to an appropriate authority."

Okay, now we know what meekness is.  Second, let's investigate why it's so important.  (all verses KJV)

James 1:21 – "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls."

This verse tells us that unless we are meek, we won't be able to receive God's Word.  That's a fairly scary place to be!

Psalm 149:4 – "For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation."

Oh boy.  Meekness really is important, isn't it?  God will give salvation to the meek.  Think about it, though.  It makes complete sense.  Salvation requires a confession and a change.  To receive it, one must realize how small and detestably filthy he is before God.  He must be broken.  A proud man can't do that!  I heard a testimony several weeks ago that testified to that very fact.  If one thinks he is good enough, that he's fine like he is and doesn't need saved, then he absolutely won't be!  God can't work in the heart of one who thinks he's "okay."  When I realized who I was before God, and realized my sins, I felt far from proud.  Meekness is absolutely necessary for salvation!

Psalm 25:9 – "He [God] guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way."

Again, God can't teach a proud heart.  He can't guide us or teach us or mold us if we're hard.  We will never become who He wants us to be if we don't let Him change us.  

Matthew 5:5 – "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

If we're meek, then our reward is great.  We will inherit the earth.  The new earth in God's kingdom.  Such a reward sounds worth it to me!

In part two of this post, I'll wrap up by answering the third and last question.  It was just getting way too long!  xo, Ella

Let's Get Dressed – Spiritually, That Is

The fashion world is somewhat upside down these days.  It's difficult to find a dress that doesn't hit mid-thigh, a shirt that doesn't cling to your body so tightly that it's difficult to breathe (okay, not really), etc. 

I was reading my Bible last week, though, and I came across some verses which talked about spiritual clothing.  I realized I had a lot to learn.  Most of us know what immodest clothing looks like.  However, do we know what God means when he talks about being clothed with godliness?  In Proverbs 31, it says that a godly woman is clothed with strength and dignity.  Further down, it says: "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." 

So maybe we don't wear immodest clothing on the outside, but what are we wearing inside?   I rounded up some verses from the concordance and some wisdom from a couple books, and I just want to share what I found out. 

Peter says:  "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.  For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.  They were submissive to their husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master.  You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear."  I Peter 3:3-6

Let's go through these verses.  First, Peter says that our beauty should not come from outward adornment.  I don't think this means that we can't wear flattering clothing, that makeup is a no-no, or that earrings are off-limits.  I think what he's saying here is that we should not rely solely on these things to make us beautiful.  We shouldn't spend hours in front of the mirror trying our best to make us look our best.  It's okay to wanna look nice and pretty, but the outside's not where our true beauty should be found. 

So if our beauty should be more than what's on the outside, then what should it be?  Peter says that it should be of a gentle and quiet spirit.  He calls this unfading beauty.  "...the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit." 

Trends come and go.  One month, maybe the color to wear is coral.  Then the next month it's mint.  It's impossible (and dumb) to try to change your wardrobe every time some new thing is trending on the fashion scene.  But get this.  The beauty that Peter is talking about he calls unfading.  This means it will never lose its luster, it'll never go outta style, it'll never (I hope) be left on the top shelf of a closet to collect dust.  It's a trait that will be beautiful forever.  For us girls, that's sure a relief. 

What's more, Peter says that this beauty is of great worth in God's sight.  How about that?  I'll admit, it's pretty cool when someone you think is pretty fashion-savvy comments on your outfit.  This is probably a dumb comparison, but it's all I could think of.  So when Peter says that this inward beauty – a gentle and quiet spirit – is of great worth to God, that's like when the most trendy person on earth comments on your outfit!  That's pretty neat.  When we wear the gentle and quiet spirit outfit, we are pleasing God.  "Don't you look nice today!"  ;)

Okay, we're almost ready to move on, but we need to discuss this gentle/quiet spirit thing just a little bit more.  What exactly is it?  I mean, what exactly does it mean when Peter says, wear a gentle and quiet spirit?  Does it mean that you aren't supposed to speak in more than a whisper?  Does it mean that you are not supposed to step on an ant?  (Bad example)  For this, I'm going to turn to a faithful standby.  The book So Much More (you can find it in my "books" link at the top of the page) has a really good few paragraphs on this character trait that are worth investigating for this part of the study.

From So Much More: "We hear about "free" spirits, fiery spirits, fiercely independent spirits, fighting spirits, proud spirits, revolutionary spirits, and just plain "spiritedness" paraded as the essential virtues for the ideal woman.  Our culture views a woman with a gentle and quiet spirit as a pushover."

They go on to list a Bible verse.  Psalm 37:11 says: "But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace."  A gentle and quiet spirit is essentially meekness.  It is a spirit of meekness.  In our society, this is viewed as a soft, old-fashioned pushover.  But is that what God thinks of meekness.  Absolutely not.  He says that the meek will inherit the earth!  That's all the confirmation I need.  God doesn't view meekness as soft or weak.  In fact, He thinks so highly of it, that He's willing to give those who are meek the world!

From So Much More: "Far from the sign of weakness, a gentle and quiet spirit is the sign of a woman who is strong in faith, mind, and character."   


Okay, let's move on.  Third, this inward beauty is "the way the holy women of the past who puts their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful."  That's pretty awesome.  All the virtuous women in the Old Testament – and new – we will now see through new eyes.  I can think of a host of them who you can tell cultivated a meek spirit.  Peter gives the example of Sarah, Abraham's wife; Ruth comes to mind as well as Abigail, Mary (Jesus' mother), Deborah and Esther; the list goes on.  The gentle and quiet spirit made them all beautiful, and we can sense this just from reading about them.  This character quality will number us among them. 

If we cultivate a spirit of meekness, it will be apparent in our lives and when we come into contact with others.  It should be found in our hearts, our actions, our attitude, our character, and our words.  It should be evident in what we say, how we act, and what we spend our time doing. 

Phew!  I know that I have a lot of work to do!   Meekness is one of the hardest qualities (it seems) to cultivate, but I know that not only will our hearts will be beautiful, what's more, our lives will glorify God.  And that is true beauty.  xo, Ella