Weak? Or Meek?

     A few years ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to spend some time at Keeneland Race Track in Lexington, Kentucky.  We had an absolute blast exploring the horse culture that surrounded that area.

     We took tours of several ranches in the area to learn about how the horses were raised and bred and ultimately trained to be race horses.  It was fascinating!  

     In the process, we were able to speak with stable hands, caretakers, and jockeys at different points.  

      The facilities were stunning!  Many of the stables were in million dollar brick barns that were surrounded by manicured gardens. Some of the barns even had statues in front of them of horses who had previously gone on to win the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, or the Belmont Stakes.  The entire experience was impressive to say the least.  

     For us, we capped off our short time there by going to Keeneland Race Track early one morning to watch the trainers work with the horses on the race track.  We ate breakfast with the jockeys and then went over to the stadium to watch them work.

      Some of the horses were fully trained and in prime condition to race, but others were in the beginning stages of training and showed themselves to be ornery by throwing their heads this way and that.  These untrained horses had the same strength and abilities as the horses who passed them by, and to look from afar, the muscle definition of some of these untrained horses seemed to surpass those who blew right on by them. 

     What was the difference?

     Submission to their master.

    These untrained  horses were unable to perform like they were capable of because they had not yielded to the master who wanted to guide them.

     You might say, “Well, what does this have to do with the Christian faith?”

     In Matthew 5:5, Jesus says, “The meek shall inherit the Earth.”  For many in the modern church, this word ‘meek’ has been misinterpreted. 

     The original term for this is a Hebrew word, ‘praus’.  We have often interpreted this word in English to mean ‘gentle’ or ‘humble’, but the reality is that this word was intended to portray an image of something that was tamed or calmed to exhibit ‘strength under control’ - like a horse.

     For most of my life, I must say that when I heard the word ‘meek’, I thought that it meant weak.  But the problem is that this common misperception of the word leads Believers in Christ to believe that it’s okay to be passive, timid, or uninvolved in the world that surrounds us.  It’s way too easy to settle in to passivity or comfortability, justifying our actions by a misunderstanding of what it means to be ‘praus’. 

     Jesus’ followers would have listened to this teaching with a very different image in their minds than what we would normally have with this word.  They would have pictured a blazing stallion running at full strength under the complete control of its master.  

     The key to this image is the ‘strength under control’ part.  We often see ‘strength’ demonstrated in our era by people in authority, lording over others and abusing their power, but this isn’t biblical ‘praus’.  ‘Praus’ is someone who is submitted fully to God, acting under the direction of the Holy Spirit, and standing for truth to serve the Master. The power they possess isn’t their power alone. It’s because of their submission to the Master that they become useful in achieving their purpose. 

    ‘Praus’ is a commitment to serving the Master in all things, and it takes courage and strength to do it.  

     One of the coolest conversations we had in Lexington was with a jockey who explained to us that you could tell a well trained horse by watching how high the jockey’s feet were on the horse.  The higher the feet, the more trained the horse was.  The lower the feet, the less trained the horse.  

    What did this mean?

    The jockey who didn’t have to dig his feet into the horse to gain control was able to simply let the horse run. It was as if the horse was free to enjoy the ride and run just as much as the jockey.  The horses who run with this freedom and confidence are often the ones who end up in the winner’s circle at the end of the day.

     As Believers, we should desire to be ‘meek’ - to demonstrate ‘God’s power under control’.  To stand by passively and watch the world around us implode isn’t meekness, it’s weakness.  Our desire should be to point people to Christ in all things.  May God give us the strength under control to do so.