Spiritual Solutions

Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5) At first glance, this would appear to be a mistake, for it seems to us that it is the strong that inherit the earth and possess all the blessings of it.

In fact, I was reading an article recently by a motivational author and speaker who claimed that we should throw out the idea of the meek inheriting the earth, totally belittling its validity. The author said that what we need to do was the opposite of being meek, which was to stand tall and possess the earth.

Well, like many of us, the author had a misunderstanding of the meaning of the word “meek.” The Greek word “praeis” which we translate as “meek” really means tame, in the sense of being opposite of wild or unrestrained; it refers to a harnessing and mobilizing of one’s powers. It is not a weakness but rather a strength, because all the inner powers are harnessed, not dissipated in bluster and aggression and show.

The French translation of this beatitude is “Blessed are the debonair,” meaning of “good manner,” or in other words, pleasant, courteous, and gracious, or charming and carefree. Today we might say, “Blessed are the cool,” implying one who is flexible, adaptive, big enough that he or she does not need to belittle.

Man is always at his best when he expresses love, meekness, humiity, and gentleness. The gentle person knows when to step back, when to yield, when to give way; when to go on might simply indicate willfulness. The meek inherit the earth because the consciousness of meekness and gentleness leads to a free experience in the world while the aggressor is chained by his own aggressive thoughts.

We tend to think of the dynamic person as the one who is aggressive, domineering, flamboyant, thundering through life. The really dynamic person is not noisy; he or she is meek in the sense of being tame. His powers are in control. He can speak with authority, take decisive action, act with power and conviction, without beating the drum. Instead of thundering, he employs the lightning of ideas. Instead of thrashing about in the darkness, he switches on a light.

I think it would behoove us all to give more thought to becoming gentle creatures, gentle persons, and gentle at heart; becoming “debonair,” becoming “cool.” Yes, “Blessed are the cool”

God is Blessing You, Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-seven years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, “Spiritual Solutions,” at Spiritual Solutions. Feel free to share this article in its entirety with a friend.

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