Blessed are the Meek

The third beatitude in the Matthew "list" is:

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5; NRSV)

You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought. (The Message)
What does it mean to be meek? In our society, we often think of it as meaning timid or submissive. A doormat. I don't think that's what Jesus meant, however.

I found one discussion of this beatitude that said meek is from the Greek word praus, and defines it as "power under control." The author of this site defines meekness as "curbing the 'natural' desires to rebel, fight, have our own way, push ourselves forward, etc. We submit to the Lord in obedience to His will." I kind of like the image of meekness as us curbing our desire to "push ourselves forward." I also like The Message translation of being content with just who we are -- no more, no less. I see it as the opposite of arrogance, the antithesis of superiority.

It doesn't require us to devalue ourselves -- we are children of God -- but it does necessitate that we place God's will for our lives and actions above our own -- humility in a way. It is a recognition that God is God, and we are not. The meek are strong -- they are strong in faith. (see this site). I've talked about humility before, and I think it applies here, as well.

So what happens when we put God first -- when we keep our "power under control" and become submissive to God? We find "riches" beyond anything we could ever imagine. We find God.

Think about inheritance for a moment. How is it that we inherit something? We don't buy it. We don't earn it by what we do or even because of who we are. We inherit something because someone gives it to us. Usually an inheritance is a gift given to a child. We are children of God, and when we realize that, we receive grace -- we find ourselves "proud owners of everything that can't be bought."

It is counter-intuitive, but that's the way God works. We are meek when we realize that the way God works is superior to anything else we know. We are meek when we accept the grace that is offered. We are meek when we submit who and what we are to God, and then we realize that what he wants us to become is who he made us to be. That's where joy lies -- at the point when we understand that who God wants us to be is who we were longing to become from the beginning.