Meek = Weak, Right?

Nephi is not seen as weak or as meek.

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I can’t remember when a character in a movie or TV show was portrayed as meek and was shown to be anything other than weak or walked on. As a society, our stories reveal our attitudes, biases, and even our understanding — or lack of understanding.

Why does gentle have to be wimpy? Why is submissive seen as sissy? This is not a problem for 21st century boys and men only. Generation after generation has worked its way through the conflicting views of culture and scripture. Sadly, many get lost or stop searching long before they add meekness to their character. Or if they are meek by nature, they feel they must hide their faces from the mocking smiles around them.

In scripture, the greatest of men were meek. In each of their stories we see that meek is not weak. In fact, meekness can only rise to the surface of our characters when true strength is present within us.

The Bible teaches us that Moses, the greatest of Old Testament leaders was “very meek, above all men which were upon the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3). This man who led a nation out of bondage needed meekness to succeed during 40 years as the wilderness prophet of Israel.

The Book of Mormon begins with Nephi’s account of his family’s flight into a wilderness and eventual arrival in a promised land. In this account, Nephi is shown to be courageous, strong, faithful, but above all meek. His meekness allows him to submit willingly to both his father as well as God’s commands. (1 Nephi 3:7) Through meekness the many abuses, and dare we say crimes, of his brothers are frankly forgiven (1 Nephi 7:20-21). Meekness is the foundation of Nephi’s abilities as a leader.

Later in the Book of Mormon, a prince named Ammon walks away from his future throne to preach the gospel to the sworn enemies of his people. This prince submits himself to be mere servant. He goes on to defend a king’s sheep and his servants by killing and maiming those who attack and attempt to scatter and then pillage the flocks. He eventually converts an enemy king to the gospel of Jesus Christ and later defends him in hand-to-hand combat. Yet, for all his prowess in preaching and swordsmanship, he had the spirit of righteous submission in his life. Ammon was meek.

In a later age, a boy prophet first saw the living god and then went on, through persecutions vile enough to cause most men to quit a cause or to rise in angry retribution, to become a tool in God’s hand to restore Christ’s church to the earth. But for all of his many accomplishments, Joseph Smith remained meek, suffering quietly and without resentment even as his Savior had while being led knowingly to his death.

Jesus Christ is the master and exemplar of all manly virtues and He was meek. In fact His strength is born of meekness. He invites us to come unto him to find rest for our souls. He invites us to learn of Him — because He is meek and lowly of heart. (Matthew 11:28-29) He invites us to learn to love as He loves.

Jesus Christ’s meekness was an outward show of His inner balance and ability to commune deeply with His Heavenly Father. It also testified of His infinite love. When He stepped down from His throne, He did so to take upon Himself flesh and mortal temptation and to be knowingly rejected as a thing of naught and to be scourged, smitten, and spit upon. (1 Nephi 19:9)

What is meekness that we must bond it to our characters to make them strong enough to work with the Master in His fields and vineyards. What is meekness that it qualifies its possessors to inherit the earth after His coming and to withstand the temptations of this world before that event? What is meekness that it is a prerequisite of charity and of the visitation of the Holy Ghost?

To be meek we must be submissive. When I think of submission and remember a bully on the playground in the 3rd grade, or a self-serving boss that demanded unquestioning obedience, I may find submission to be demeaning and distasteful. Such a misunderstanding may cause us to lose the narrow path in the amidst the world’s undergrowth.

Submission is to be understood through the example of the Messiah. The phrase that summarizes His mission best is “Father . . . thy will be done.” (Matthew 26:42) In his submission to His father, Jesus acknowledged Heavenly Father’s rightful authority and added His obedience and ultimately His sacrifice to the Father’s saving work for all human kind. Through this type of submission we choose our side of the fight and align ourselves with the Man of Holiness, our Father in Heaven. (Moses 6:57)

The wicked do not align themselves with righteousness. In the Book of Mormon, Laman and Lemuel chafe at being compelled to submit to the righteous dominion of their brother Nephi. “We will not that our younger brother shall be a ruler over us.” (1 Nephi 18:10) Any acts of submission made by the wicked Laman and Lemuel were not born of righteous desire. Without a spiritual dimension, this kind of submission quickly turns to resentment. Such submission is not meekness, but rather pride and rebellion in disguise.

Though the wicked do not submit willingly to righteous dominion, sadly the righteous too often submit willing to unrighteous dominion. When otherwise righteous men allow pride and a lack of understanding to rule the day, they may treat their wives, children, associates, neighbors, and strangers in ways that reveal uncontrolled tempers, a lack of patience, and malnourished charity. If men excuse themselves in these things because they imagine it is natural and manly, they are misguided in their own development of true manhood.

In submitting ourselves to the desires of the natural man, we submit ourselves to the adversary, even if we do not immediately see his hand upon us. Laman and Lemuel became thus servants of the evil one because they did not want to serve righteousness.

Meekness is control. This is more in line with what we think of as a manly virtue. However, the control that the meek practice is different from the control that Satan’s philosophies recommend. Meek control is self control that yields the fruits of patience, moderation, gentle kindness, and balance. The meek understand that God has set boundaries and they submit themselves to His authority by striving to stay with those boundaries. Another word for this is temperance.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians to “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;” (Colossians 3:12) Self control is required to submit ourselves to this apostolic call for Christ-like attributes.

Finally, meekness is strength and love. To be meek is to master ourselves to an extent that we are able to endure injury with patience and without resentment. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane after his betrayal showed us how.

Kissed by a treacherous disciple and given over to the men that would kill Him, Jesus did not rail upon the wicked before Him. Instead, he healed the servant of the high priest after Peter drew a sword and severed the man’s ear. (Matthew 26:49-50, Luke 22:50-51) On the cross his call to the Father to forgive his tormentors showed again his strength in meekness (Luke 23:34). The apostle Stephen learned to be meek like the Savior, for he called for forgiveness for those that stoned him. (Acts 7:60)

Here’s a quick test for meekness. Imagine you are calmly driving to work. Another driver, weaving dangerously through traffic pulls past on the right and cuts sharply in front of you, causing you to hit your breaks hard enough that the person behind you just misses your bumper. How do you react? If your first thoughts include concern for the offender as well as for those affected by the dangerous driving, you are well on your way to the strength and love that meekness requires. “Father forgive that driver and help him calm down and drive safely.” Choosing to look past offense to love requires meekness. We are often faced with simple tests like this. I fear I fail more than I pass. How long must meekness seek root in my life before it takes a firm hold?

The prophet Mormon went so far as to declare that “for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart;” this is because meekness is a stepping stone to charity and we must have charity if we are to become like the Master. (Moroni 7:46-48) Mormon wrote that “if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity;” (Moroni 7:44)

Mormon also wrote that meekness is a prerequisite for the visitation of the Holy Ghost. “And the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost . . .”

To desire love, joy, peace; to desire to be longsuffering, gentle, good, and faithful; to desire to be under control through temperance; all these require godly meekness (Galations 5:22-23). To become meek is to clothe ourselves in godly strength, a quest worthy of any man of god and not a task for those made weak through submission to worldly ways.

If we understand the need for meekness and it’s requirements, maybe, just maybe, those we deem offenders today will one day become precious to us despite continued mistakes. Perhaps we will view obedience as an opportunity instead of a requirement and self control as one of godliest of attributes to seek after. We will see true strength in meekness.