Not Another Election Post {Or When and How to Make a Stand}

My pastor preached a message a few months back that I keep recalling through this messy election season. He was preaching from the Beatitudes. Specifically on the meek.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

If I am honest, meek is not something I have ever striven to be. It just sounds like, well, a bummer. (Is this just me?)

In many Bible translations, the word meek is used interchangeably with humble and gentle. Track with me for a minute, because I think if we can understand gentleness and humility, we can understand what it means to be meek. {And why we might want to grow in this area}.

Gentleness implies a healthy self-awareness. It’s knowing our own strengths and weaknesses and mindfully stewarding them around others. Gentleness doesn’t mean we are without cracks and sharp edges; it means that we know how to keep our edges out of the skin of others.

Humility implies a healthy self-forgetfulness. It’s not thinking of ourselves too often, and when we do think of ourselves, it’s in the light of the greatness of God. It’s not just an awareness of our smallness and God’s greatness, it’s also rightly putting ourselves in the grand scheme of God’s love and plan for all.

Between God’s love and our brokenness, here’s what the gentle-humble meek know: “If left to ourselves, we would break far more than we would repair.”***

Deep down, in spite of all the ways we try to cover up our propensity to break things, we know we do.

We know how clumsy we can be with our words and our actions—how often our foot finds its way into our mouth. We’ve seen our frustration bubble up and out in loud, angry words at the ones we love most. We’ve sat practically stuttering when our friend carries her heavy burden of unimaginable loss—remaining silent when we wanted to say something or thinking what we did say sounded hollow. We’ve watched our compliments get carried forward on the backside or our hand in spite of all our best intentions. We’ve cringed over the posts that we offered up too hastily that offended deeply.

For all our best intentions—our desires to be a good mom, wife, friend, and disciple-maker—we are capable of so much breaking.

We often think of meekness as looking rather like weakness. But here’s the thing: our weaknesses draw us to God’s side. It’s meekness when we choose to stay there.

The meek are keenly aware of their need for God.

I’ve been thinking on this through the current election season. You guys, the church has been downright nasty. The cutting remarks. The touting opinions like facts. The declaring shame on all who would vote differently. The way everyone seems to have something to say, but no one is really listening. 

I have seen division and ranting and debating and excusing away terrible behavior and proclamations of who beyond a shadow of a doubt would be the lesser of two evils… all in the name of Christianity and restoring God to our nation? We've spoken death to one another in the name of being pro-life?

And I just wonder if we, the ones professing Christ, need to get back to our basics, to the sermon Jesus preached when He laid out the foundation of His kingdom? And, guys? How can we claim to be a part of God’s kingdom, if we aren’t living like a citizen of it?

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

Blessed are the gentle. Blessed are the humble. Blessed are those who realize the surpassing greatness and sovereignty of God. Blessed are those who pray first and last and always. Blessed are those who know how capable they are of breaking others. Blessed are those who walk and talk slowly. Blessed are those who listen. Blessed are those who live recognizing their need to have God WITH them every single step, with every single word.

Because it’s the slowed-down ones, the looking-for-God ones, the relying-on-God ones, the gentle and the humble ones, on whom He has bestowed the earth.

I mean, think on this: We are worried about the state of our world and the state of this country. But God doesn't promise it to the reckless and impassioned ranters. God promises it to the meek.

The meek carry the world on their prayers. The meek change the atmosphere of a world in tumult. And God gives the world as an inheritance to the meek.

Do you want to see God in this country? Do you want to see God in your everyday life?

Slow down. Pray without ceasing. Re-estimate the greatness of God. Realize we are broken people and our wholeness is found when we lean on God. This isn't necessarily a call to be quiet. It's a call to live and speak by the Spirit.

“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another…

"If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” Galatians 5:13-15, 25

What do you think? {I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, and my hope is that this would be a safe place to practically talk through this.} What has been your own process for filtering your strongly-held beliefs, opinions and thoughts through social media during this election? 

By Grace,

Amanda Conquers

***I am quoting my pastor from his sermon. You can listen to the whole sermon HERE. (And it covers poor in spirit and those who mourn also, and it’s really good. Scroll down the menu to Beatitudes Part 1)