Reflections on the Beatitudes – Part 3

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

It used to be that I would wake up in the morning filled with dread, pain in my head and in the pit of my stomach, angry at myself for being so weak and unable to hold my own. I would be meeting with a supervisor, and I just knew that I would melt into submissive behavior, with the childhood admonishments of “respect for my elders”. 

Susan Cain wrote a book and delivered a TED talk about introverts, and I recognize myself in her words. I am not a total introvert – over the course of my career I have developed leadership, coaching and communication skills. I can present a training program, and I can ask for directions at the department store. But in my soul, I savor the luxury of solitude and the triumph of excellence over criticism, traits that are often associated with meekness. When these feelings of dread come up, I seek solace in prayer and in faith, and keep certain printed quotations on my vision wall:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

“Plant seeds of expectation in your mind; cultivate thoughts that anticipate achievement. Believe in yourself as being capable of overcoming all obstacles and weaknesses.” Norman Vincent Peale

“Things don’t go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up. They happen to break you down and build you up so you can be all that you were intended to be.” Charles “Tremendous” Jones

Several years ago, there were books, movies, television shows, podcasts, you-name-it, on the Law of Attraction, where just thinking positively would bring what you desire - just put it out to the Universe. I have learned that faith works when you work with it. Yes, you have to ask. Yes, you have to pray bold prayers. But you have to do your part. In my life, I have been guided to plant, cultivate, and believe that I would be rewarded for excellence, good will, and ministry. 

My timeline is not God’s timeline, so I have also had to learn about patience and moving beyond setbacks. My stories have happy, hope-filled, satisfying endings, as I have often recognized the results of the seeds I sowed – like receiving a new job doing what I love, or coming out of a serious illness. In such periods of meekness-turned-faith, I know that I have inherited the earth.