Deliberations 2016(10): Meekness

(This post was suggested from Richard W. O’Ffill’s The Fruit of the Spirit, Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2009, p. 88):

“There’s a story of two ducks and a frog that lived happily together in a farm pond. However, when the hot summer days came, the pond began to dry up, and it was clear that they would have to move. 

This was no problem for the ducks, who could fly to another pond. But the frog couldn’t move away as easily. So the frog got a stick and suggested that each duck grab an end in its bill, and he would hang on to the middle with his mouth as they flew to another pond.

The plan worked well, so well in fact that as they were flying along, the farmer looked up in admiration and said, “Well isn’t that a clever idea! I wonder who thought of that?” Whereupon the frog puffed himself up, beat his chest and spoke his last words: “I did!”

The story reminds us of the text, “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). In our hearts, in our homes and in the church, we need to remind ourselves often of the words of our Lord, “I am meek and lowly of heart.” (Matt. 11:29)

According to O’Ffill “Meekness is not doing, or saying, Meekness is BEING”.

For me that decodes meekness as the essence of who we are.

Are we truly meek – calmly and humbly submitting to God’s will and leading in our lives? Or do we run ahead of Him, and kick and scream against what He wants us to do? I wonder how we would really line up on a meekness scale, which would go from 1—puffed up as a peacock, to 10—submissive as a lamb? I wonder if anyone would score a perfect 10…..