The Power of Meekness in Achieving the Good Life: Insights from Jesus for the Workplace

The concept of the good life has been around for centuries, with various people, books, and gurus telling us how to achieve it. However, when Jesus Christ came into the world, He presented a radical idea on how to achieve the good life - through meekness. This concept was introduced during the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus shared how to be blessed, happy, and fortunate in this life, including our work life.

According to Jesus, "blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." The root of this word comes from the idea of reigning in a stallion, which means meekness has nothing to do with weakness. It is about strength under control, being used to serve and empower others, and not allowing strength to dominate and destroy others.

However, living a meek life can be challenging in a world that does not celebrate meekness. The world often celebrates self-assertiveness, self-will, and self-determination, which are the opposite of what it means to be meek. In the workplace, people may appear to get ahead by asserting their strength of personality, intellect, looks, money, or even moral weight to gain favour. Still, the Bible says that the meek are blessed.

While people may appear to get ahead by not being meek, both the quality and quantity of their promotion or advancement are not blessed. Those who choose to use means of being self-assertive to gain promotion or opposition always have to be living in fear of someone who is more self-assured, making it difficult to enjoy what they have gained.

So, how do we become meek? Jesus is our example. He was totally in control of His strength and power, always using it to serve and empower others. To live a meek life, we need to be self-controlled, gentle, and humble, recognising that all our strength and power comes from God. In doing so, we can achieve the good life, the life that Jesus has shown us - a life of meekness.