UNDER or IN Control?

This past winter was a bear for many in the Eastern half of the US and those in Canada.  The winter storms just lingered and lingered, slamming the affected with tons of snow, damaging winds, and ice storms galore.  What I heard over and over from those living in those "winter places" was the overwhelming theme of "Isn't this enough already".  The idea of frustration with one season which seemed to linger way too long for their liking just came through loud and clear!  What we often fail to recognize is the value of the present season in preparing us for the next!

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. (Matthew 5:5 MSG)

The idea of "meekness" is really one of being under control.  Notice, I did not say being IN control - it is the attitude of spirit which remains UNDER control during the seasons which seem to linger just a little too long.  When we begin to recognize the difference, we are well-underway toward the changing of the seasons in our lives!  UNDER control is a place of power - IN control is a place of weakness.  As long as I am UNDER the control of the Holy Spirit's guidance in my life, I am going in the right direction.  When I take over control and demand to be IN control, things get a little wonky.  

One of the things I think best demonstrates the character trait of meekness is what we do when someone in our lives just doesn't get it right.  What we demonstrate in those moments really defines the person, doesn't it?  How we respond to them matters.  If our attitude is one of extending grace when they don't always deserve it, then we probably are beginning to move in meekness. Grace is one of the character traits meekness puts on display in our lives.  To this end, I will ask us to consider a few thoughts as we ponder this idea of being IN or UNDER control - truly exhibiting the character traits of an individual who is manifesting meekness.

When faced with another who is different than we are - behaving differently, a little out of the ordinary, how do we treat them?  Did you ever stop to consider how we treat another is a sign of being IN or UNDER control.  Are we gentle or judgmental with those individuals?  If you answer this one as being a little judgmental, you probably are not unlike some of the rest of us!  It is easy to jump to conclusions about others, isn't it?  At the point we jump in with both feet, we find out just how much we exercise the character traits of a meek individual - for grace likely does not abound when we are jumping into judgment creek with both feet!

Probably a more telling test of our attitude is how we treat others when they want to help us.  If we find ourselves just a little unwilling to allow another to help us when they are moved upon to do so, we are probably determining we need to be IN control and not UNDER the control of the Holy Spirit in our lives. God places individuals in our lives to assist us when and where we need the greatest amount of help - like it or not!  Accepting that help when it is offered is quite another thing!  

In the course of time, I have come to the conclusion there are a lot of ways to do things correctly - not all of them need to be my way!  It is a sign of a meek spirit to be willing to allow another to do things their way, as there are many ways to get to the same end.  It says a lot to let go and let another go at things according to their ability and at their speed.  Trust me, I have seen a whole lot of confusion come when my own selfishness demanded its own way in the course of things.  People just aren't lined up to always do things the way I want them done - just sayin!

Issues are sure to come in life - no one living and breathing on this planet can say they never face issues.  They have a way of creeping up on us.  When we see them creeping up, we have one of two options - we can react to the issue; or we can react to the surface of what we see - completely missing the issue and focusing on how it was presented to us.  The latter focuses how it is presented - the former focuses on the issue itself.  There is a huge difference between the two.  One will display meekness - self-control; the other will display criticism and negativity - the lack of self-control.  Truth be told, how we see the issue will determine whether we give another grace enough to actually grow as a result of the issue.

Here are a few thoughts in closing - 

1.  Jesus never asked for the bold to inherit the earth - he offered it to the meek.  One characteristic of the meek is their willingness to be taught.  There us something quite spectacular about being willing to be taught IN the issue. If we remain teachable, we will always be reachable.
2.  We need to be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to get angry.  The meek truly are willing to live UNDER the control of Christ - their own way is not the determining factor in their lives.  Changed minds lead to changed hearts. Changed hearts are open to grace.  Grace received will be grace tendered to another when they most need it.
3.  We have to learn to act, not react.  Someone once challenged me to think not so much about winning, but winning a different way.  Think on that one a little.  There are a whole lot of ways to win in life.  I am determined the best way to win is not so much by being IN control, but by being UNDER the right control!  
4.  Last, but not least, no one determined YOUR reaction in life.  You do that all on your own.  Just sayin!

M&M's anyone?

Today we will examine our "M" List - let's call it the "M&M's" of spiritual character: Mercy and Meekness.  Most of us really don't use the word "meek" or "meekness" in our vocabulary all that often, so we will do well to refresh ourselves on its meaning.  Mercy seems to be something we pretty much understand - at least in theory, if not in perfect practice yet in our lives!  The Sermon on the Mount is the location for our two passages today - the first describing the character trait of meekness, the second mercy.  Let's dig in...

“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." (Matthew 5:5 MSG)

“You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for." (Matthew 5:7 MSG)

Now, you may not have seen either word in these passages, but if you go to a more "traditional" translation, you will observe they read:  ⁵ Blessed are the meek (the mild, patient, long-suffering), for they shall inherit the earth! and ⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!  So, let's look again at the translation I chose for today's passages.  

First, Jesus says we are blessed (happy, joyous) when we become content with just who we are - a state of no longer trying to keep up with everybody else, being settled into the place where God has us, and just enjoying it to the fullest.  Meekness is really the result of being right where God wants you and doing exactly what God wants you to do.  In fact, when we are in this state, we find our behavior is the result of the inner working of God in our lives.  There is an inward "tempering" of our spirit that helps us accept everything God is doing in our lives as "good" - even when it may not appear so on the surface.  When we see meekness in another, we see the ability and willingness of the person to accept God's dealings without disputing them or putting up a ton of resistance.  It is more than being "resigned" to what God is doing - it is being intentional in the pursuit of what he is doing, because we know the activity of his Spirit in us only produces the best results, even when the journey may get a little "rough".

Meekness in today's vernacular is really what many will call "self-control".  Truly, this character trait is not weakness, or the absence of a backbone.  It is the evidence of inward power - the type of power that does not come naturally to any of us.  It is the result of the inner working of Christ in us.  It is the limitless resources of his power within.  In fact, when we exhibit true meekness we are showing much less "self-assertiveness" or "self-interest".  We are revealing "control" of self - not self in control.  Many times people equate meekness with some kind of "mamby-pamby" kind of response to life's issues - like someone just standing there and "taking it".  It is just the opposite, for meekness is really "active participation" in resisting the urge to take control and doing things our own way.

Second, mercy is "partnered" with meekness simply because we learn the lessons of mercy most in the midst of learning the lessons of meekness!  In fact, as we journey through the things God wants us to walk through with him in order for his power to be revealed in us, we find we need a whole lot of his mercy to embrace the actions of meekness being produced.  Self will rise up repeatedly, resisting the actions of God - we need mercy to put self back into place!  

Too many times, I think we believe mercy is just needed for dealing with sin.  The truth be told, we need mercy each breath we breathe!  Mercy is what helps us relate to the goodness of God and it is what helps others see the goodness of God in our lives.  Mercy is the trait of being "cared for" and then sharing an equal amount of care for another when they most need it.  It is the trait we sometimes equate with "empathy" - being compassionate with others who often struggle with exactly the same things you have or are presently struggling with.  We often "behave" in a manner quite the opposite of being merciful, don't we?  In fact, when we see the behavior in another, we often are critical of it.  Letting God express his mercy in our lives is one thing - extending the same mercy to another takes it up a notch!  

Now, look at mercy in conjunction with meekness.  When we begin to realize we ALL go through the same struggles of dealing with the "determined self-will", we might begin to recognize the behavior in another is simply a manifestation of the same things we might have already "struggled through".  We probably "resisted" a little at first, leaning heavily on God's grace to help us through, and we needed a whole lot more mercy each step we took toward breaking free of that struggle with our "self-will".  As we actively participated with what God was doing in our lives, we began to see the evidence of God's "re-creating work" in us as meekness began to take root.  In the course of time, responding to what God was doing became easier and we actually "resisted" less.  The thing is, we all go through this similar "up and down" kind of struggle until the change is evident.  Repeatedly we will need to lean upon the mercy of God and others.  Repeatedly we will need to rely upon the "strength" of meekness learned in our last lessons to get us through our present.

So, meekness is really a "strength", not a weakness.  Mercy is really the ability to live above being critical of self and others, because we all are going through the same stuff, the outward appearance of the struggle may just look a little different.  Just sayin!