I was leafing through my daughter’s school journal today and I stumbled over a very moving entry. Each day they have to write a sentence on a topic which the teacher provides. On March 6, my first-grader wrote these words:
I am meek when someone hurts me.
Wow. That resonated in my motherly heart. My child is “meek” when hurt. Part of me says, “Oh, isn’t that sweet” and part of me says, “Who is hurting my child? Let me at ’em!” Not exactly a meek reaction, but an honest one regardless.
I had to look up the definition of meek. I’ve always heard the verse, “Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth,” (Matthew 5:5) but I’ve never been really clear on who the “meek” were.
So I looked it up on Dictionary.com and this is what I learned.
Meek: Mild of temper; not easily provoked or irritated; patient under injuries; not vain, or haughty, or resentful; forbearing; submissive.
Actually, that’s a fantastic description of my daughter. She is mild and easy-going and not easily irritated. That’s why she can put up with so much teasing from her older brother. What really caught my attention was the middle part of that definition, “patient under injuries.”
Notice, it doesn’t say, “puts up with all kinds of abuse.” It says, “patient.”
The bible describes one man as meek — Moses. It’s funny, when I think of Moses, I think of him as all strong and powerful– “LET MY PEOPLE GO!!!” But Numbers 12:3 describes him differently: “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” [King James Version]. The NIV and most other versions use the word “humble.” He was humble and meek. Patient. Remember how many times he had to go before Pharaoh? Remember how long he interceded for the Hebrew nation with their God? He may have been patient with the people and with Pharaoh, but he still got the job done.
Jesus also could be described as meek by this description. He was clearly patient under injury. He was meek when people hurt him. But He still carried out the Father’s will.
As a Mom, I want my daughter to stand up for herself. “Meek” is not my top priority for her. And yet, as she grows, she will find herself in many situations when “patience under injury” will be an asset. I just pray that she also finds strength when she needs it.
And I think there’s hope for her. The very next entry in her journal cracked me up. I think it’s in reference to the “I know an old lady who swallowed a fly” song. She wrote…
I think the old lady should swallow a shark.
sweet..