In the world, the believer faces (or at times causes) conflict with others in the church or even in society in general.

Whether aggressor or target (no, that’s not the same as victim!), we Christians can change the trajectory of such encounters by choosing peace, meekness, and forgiveness.

I agree with that prayer. But I want more than deeds! I want a meek spirit. I want a forgiving spirit. I want a peaceable, peacemaking spirit.

But my humanity gets in the way. So before I can use meekness and forgiveness to make peace, I need to embrace them. I need to quit fighting meekness and forgiveness. I need to join myself to them. I need to make my peace with both of them.

Spines or flowers — which am I?

Well, here’s a related something I wrote at least a decade ago:

The natural response to oppression and affliction (physical, verbal, or psychological) is to gauge our response by our strength. Those who perceive themselves to be strong will do what they can to protect themselves, even resorting to attacking the attacker. Those who perceive themselves to be weak will flee the oppression or bear it.

This helps me distinguish between meekness and weakness. The weak bears because he can do nothing else. The meek bears because he has chosen not to exercise his power to protect and avenge himself.

Meekness also touches the tongue and the mind — neither reviles, neither complains, neither glories or gloats…

Meekness also pays the bill. Little did Jesus’ enemies realize that even as they “went into debt” by oppressing Him, He was gladly paying the price for their forgiveness. That gives meekness a redemptive… No one could yield such abnormal delicacy without God’s Spirit in him.

Read the rest: The Defenseless Life

God’s push for this post was tomorrow’s Sunday School lesson in the CLP quarterly: “The Believer in the World” — Ephesians 2:6-13; Romans 12:17-21; 1 Peter 3:13-18. It’s what we use at Hopewell Mennonite Church.