Becoming a Black Belt of the Way

By Mark E Pulsifer

Of all the ideas, insights, and practices that have helped me grow as a Christian, there are only six that guide and empower me to pursue lifelong conversion – to grow as far as possible in this lifetime in the character and Spirit of Jesus our Christ.

One of the six is the pursuit of becoming ever more meek.

When I attended Trinity College (now Trinity International University) in Deerfield, IL for a year, I became friends with a seminarian. One day, he happened to share the original meaning of “meek” with me that completely changed my understanding what it means for a person to follow Christ.

The common, widely understood meaning of “meek” is: Weakness; fearful or pointless deference; impotence. This is a strategic misunderstanding, part of the insipid religiosity that infects Christian culture. Many in the Church (and in the world) think that it is wrong to be strong and powerful and that in order to be like Jesus, a man needs to become feminine. Put another way, to become meek is like performing a spiritual sex-change on yourself. And what man wants to do that?

Instinctively, many men (myself included) subconsciously or openly rebel against this. As a consequence, we can quietly choose to ignore the difficult and prolonged task of working with the Holy Spirit to be converted and transformed into a greater being.

But as my friend taught me, a Biblical understanding of “meek” means “disciplined power”. This concept was used to describe Roman military chariot horses. Magnificent. Muscular. Highly trained. Powerful. Courageous –and under authority.

This is what Jesus meant when he taught that the meek shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). In today’s vernacular, he may as well have said that the black belts of His Way will inherit the earth and rule it with Him.

Now that’s cool. It’s something I can get into and work on, trying to pray always, capture every thought, turn the other cheek, and so forth. It’s not pointless weakening but purposeful suffering or forbearance for a higher purpose.

Anyone who has forgiven another for a real harm knows that it requires strength and a setting aside or humbling of self. Not easy to do. Or to refrain from hitting back, whether with words or fists. Again, not easy to do. Being gentle sometimes requires a lot of self-restraint. Like doing a stomach crunch or a snap kick, it develops strength and habit, correct form. It’s worth it because it’s the only way to grow in disciplined power a.k.a. meekness.

As Lao Tzu observed in his famous book of wisdom, the Tao te Ching, “Knowing others is wisdom, knowing the self is enlightenment. Mastering others requires force, mastering the self needs strength.”

(For a thorough study of what meek correctly means, take a look at John MacArthur’s message on Matthew 5:5.)

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