Why Meek & Humble?

Jesus,

meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.

Meek & Humble is a way of living through the heart of Jesus. To know His way, we have to understand the meaning of each word.

Meek

My initial thought of the word meek was why would Jesus describe his heart as something the world would call “weak”? 

There was a beautiful article published on Aleteia on the definition of the word meek. It explained that the original meaning of meek comes from the Greek word praus which is a horse trained for battle. These stallions were said to be meeked because they were powerful and fearless and responded to the slightest call or movement from their rider. 

The biblical meaning of meek is “strength under control”.  A person considered meek is one who has mastered self. They respond lovingly and peacefully instead of emotionally reacting. Their true strength does not come from himself or herself alone, but from partnering with God who is given full power and control, like the warrior and his warhorse. 

Humble

Now that we know the true meaning of the word meek, what about humble? Humility is from the word humus meaning “from the earth” or “dirt”. God created us from the dirt. It doesn’t mean that we are nothing, it reminds us that we were created by God for a purpose. Being humble is about claiming our true identity as His child and recognizing who we are in relationship to Him. We belong to God. When we are prideful, we raise ourselves to a higher place above others and we forget who we are and who we belong to. When we are humble, we are grounded in God and we will be exalted by Him, not by our own power. 

In order to be meek, we must first be humble. We must be little to allow God to be great within us. When we are rooted in God, it becomes easier to master life because we are working with, not against, the One who created it. Jesus tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden light because of His meek and humble heart. It is a heart in total union with the Father.

If you find yourself busy, exhausted, overwhelmed, burnt out, anxious, or stressed, Jesus is the answer. God wants you to have a beautiful, harmonious, flourishing and eternal life. It begins with surrender, giving back power to the One we love and belong to. When we are operating in collaboration with God through the gifts He gave us, abundant living is possible.