Practicing Meekness

Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear; let not your courage fail. // Isaiah 7:4

My heart was smoldering, offended and angry at the words that had been spoken to me. In the moment, I had remained calm, but as weeks went by, those words—untrue and unfair—had burrowed deeply into my heart until I felt I had to respond. I needed to call that person to account for what they said and establish some firm boundaries. I knew they were lashing out from a place of woundedness and pain, but did that mean I needed to just sit there and take it? Heck no. I was not about to be a doormat.

I thought about Jesus going into the temple with His whips and driving out the moneychangers. I fumed with righteous anger, feeling justified in crafting a direct but not overly harsh response. I thought about what I might say for weeks, all along praying that the Lord would show me which words were necessary.

And then I sat down with my kids one afternoon and watched an episode of The Chosen. I watched as the actor portraying Jesus recited the Beatitudes. “Blessed are the meek [ . . .  ] Blessed are the peacemakers [ . . . ] Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake [ . . . ]” (see Mathew 5:3-12). I thought about the kind of person I wanted to be, the kind of person Jesus was calling me to be. And in that moment, I decided to forgive those who had offended me. Not to demand justice or recognition of how I had been hurt, not even to wait for an apology. To practice meekness, and bring my wounded heart directly to Jesus. 

It takes courage to come to this place. To trust the Lord to go before you and take care of everything. It takes a massive effort for me to cede control—to recognize that I never had it in the first place. 

What is Jesus calling you to let go of today? Where can you practice meekness, for the sake of the Kingdom? Give it over to Him, and let His tranquility wash over you.