Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. 

                                                                           Matthew 5:5 

It’s an unfortunate assumption that we might tend to make when we read today’s passage. In the midst of Jesus’ eight declarations of blessedness known as the Beatitudes, He states, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” The unfortunate part is that the word “meek” just happens to rhyme with the word “weak.” So when we think of meekness, we might be tempted to think that we are speaking of weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus was meek but He certainly is not weak. We are to display meekness as well but we do so to demonstrate the power of the Spirit of God in our lives.

Meekness can be translated gentleness, evidence of the presence of God in the life of a believer. When athletes possess extraordinary physical ability, they do not have to verbally convince people of such rather they can simply allow their actions to speak for them. The same goes for intellectual ability. A person who possesses above average intellectual ability doesn’t need to prove that they are gifted with this type of capability rather they work with the confidence and knowledge in their own qualifications. The same goes for the Christian life. Spiritual strength is displayed by the mere fact that we can respond to difficult people in a spirit of gentleness. While the world tells us that we should “scratch and claw” for every opportunity, we can move through a situation with complete confidence that a commitment to gentleness will always prove superior to the destructive actions of the fearful.

We do this mainly because Jesus describes Himself as gentle. Consider the following: 

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart 

                                                                                                               Matthew 11:29a

When we take on the yoke of Christ, we take on the same characteristics as that of Jesus and one of those attributes is gentleness. So Jesus declares that when we present ourselves as gentle, we are truly blessed. The word “blessed” literally means “happy.” When we approach life free from grudges, emotional baggage, and the weight that animosity brings, we find ourselves living a life of happiness and contentment. And a byproduct of this kind of lifestyle is the ability to handle people with gentleness.

Patience, kindness, and gentleness are not liabilities rather they are assets. Living a life of gentleness isn’t a display of weakness rather it is the evidence of true strength. Gentleness is the substantiation of confidence and demonstrates that the individual is not afraid to respond to others with the love of God. Gentleness is imperative for the Christian life. To move through life without it would be to grossly misrepresent the character and nature of God.