Jun 11, 2017

 

Follower of Jesus (22)

Blessed are the meek,

For they will inherit the earth. (2)

                     Matthew 5:5

Our society seems to adulate loud, brash, and self-glorifying individuals who are the very antithesis of being meek. The louder the athlete the more we pay them, and look who we elected president. This type of person is the one that seems to get the golden ring, makes themselves rich, and does all the things that are so highly prized by our culture.

       It is ironic, to put it mildly, that our nation calls itself a Christian nation, and then places the objective behavior patterns that are the opposite of what Jesus promoted as the ideal behavior of the culture. The expected behavior is one of striving to get ahead of our neighbor, win the competition, get the biggest car and house in the neighborhood, and be considered a flashing success in a success-oriented culture. Consumerism is the name of the game, and unless we buy-buy-buy we are not part of the forward thrust of the nation. Not only that, we are considered not doing our part in our putting the nation forward by buying more and more, throwing the old, and then buying still more.

Our nation is certainly not following Jesus in almost any part of the real message that Jesus brought with him. Expansionism, bigger is better, rampart force and violence are all central to the American way of life. Just look at the freedom that NRA has taken to the second amendment, now pushing for total freedom of anyone, no matter anything of their past history, can carry a concealed weapon. This in a nation where Jesus said “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also, if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as will…….” (Matthew 5:39). Certainly different than any thinking in our society, where we spend more on military than all the rest of the national budget combined – and our president states that our military needs even more.

Not that I am much better. I certainly like a nice house, I like to own beautiful things, I drive a comfortable car, I love beautiful gardens and strive to create my own beautiful garden. And I earn my bread and butter by selling software, the majority going to the military side of our world. So I find myself buried deep in the non-Christian culture of our world. Much of my writing is a method of self-searching to see how I fit within the nature of Jesus as he expressed himself and his truly radical ideas that God flowed through him.

I reflect the norm of our society, a norm highly approved of by most of our early-stage religions; that is, almost all religions as expressed on earth today. I am considered a success in our society, looked upon by my fellow church goers as a person to follow, but I do not reflect the true teachings of Jesus to be meek and humble. I will admit that I am at least looking to become more who I truly am, warts and all. That is good, but I have much further to go – even in my thoughts of admiration of the things that are dangled in front of me that I itch for.

The task of being meek and humble is not to throw everything away, sell my house and sit someplace in a corner staring into space. I do not think I would enjoy that, and I suspect that my wife would frown on that option, and to tell the truth, moving in that direction would be an ego move, so that I could point at myself and see what I have done – on the surface. I would not be one to serve as that light in the darkness to bring others to know God, but would only be satisfying myself to pat myself on the back.

The task of being ‘meek and humble’ is to look fully at ones’ shadow – that portion of myself that I hide from everyone else, and too often hide from myself, and face the logs in my own eye and see about removing them, or least reducing then to kindling wood.

The question to ask ourselves is “Who am I?” and answer it as truthfully as we can. That question is always in front of us, and we will always discover new facets to our being – some bad, but often some very good things that we do not see in ourselves. We are each a very complex person. Every one of us. we have amazing personality quirks that we display without realizing it.

That is the truth – and we should be looking at these quirks carefully, cultivating those that further the Face of God, and adjusting those that do not reflect the Face of God at this time.

This does not require self-flogging and moaning at our failures, but a recognition that these are our quirks and ways, and own them as we are. Everyone else sees them in us, and though we work mightily to hide them, they are ours and meant to be used in a manner that benefits us and all around us. We are not hermits, but are like Jesus – he mingled with the crowd, and spent time with ‘sinners and thieves’, as the self-righteous pointed out.

Meditation

My gentle lover, my ode to joy, my center that will always, and always, be there to hold me and comfort me, encourage me, and urge me on to reveal It’s face in our world. I am part of the Kingdom of God that dwells within and without, and I am grateful for Your patience and love that never wavers. It’s constancy in my life, no matter what my shadow side urged me to do, is the wonder of my life. As I age I see the beauty of all, therein I see Your presence in all that is present. I ask only to be the light in the darkness of the world You have given me, and I grateful for all in my life, even the aging process that opens up new vistas of Your love.

 

Facebook viewers: If this posting proves useful to you, I would appreciate it if you would share it.