Full Volume? Not Always.

The word for gentleness that Paul uses in his letters to the Galatian and Ephesians churches is praotés. This word is also translated as meekness.

Meekness in the Greek comes from the idea of meeking a horse–breaking it in until it is powerful, and warrior-like but also submissive to its master. This is the idea of power under control, which reminds me of when I first started playing guitar for worship gatherings as a teenager. I only played at full volume. All the time. Eventually, one of the leaders graciously advised me at the start of songs in rehearsal not to play at all, but instead to listen to what others in the band are playing. Only once I got a sense of the song should I start to play loud at some points, soft at others, fingerpicking or with a riff when the song called for it, and sometimes not at all. This mentality of listening first allowed the opportunity for others to shine and caused me to focus on what’s best for the entire team and ultimately the congregation rather than focusing only on what I’m doing.

This is meekness — power under control, having an abundance of capacity but using it wisely for the benefit of others. Let us wrestle with what meekness looks like in our lives. Let us allow God to lead us on a journey of taking the next step towards meekness, for in Jesus’ world, the meek shall inherit the earth.