Vol. 1 Issue 16
It was during a July 4th parade some years back that our family was given one of the most special blessings we have ever received. His name is Shadow. He is a mostly black Labrador Retriever with a bit of Chow mixed in – just enough to fluff his coat. Beth Neal, a daughter of a dear friend of ours, found two puppies abandoned at High Point College
Shadow is aptly named, for other than the whites of his eyes, he is black as the night. Our family has raised him from a pup. Our house and furniture bears the mark of Shadow’s teething and our carpet bears the mark of his housebreaking. We were so proud of Shadow that we sent him to school. At least that is what we tell our friends and family. The truth is, we sent Shadow to school because we feared he was the dumbest dog God ever created. While a trip to doggy college helped the dog, he never graduated. It seems that Shadow had the nerve to defecate on the instructor’s shoe during his last lesson. Don’t get me wrong. Shadow did learn some things. For instance, he will sit on command and give you a shake of his paw - that is as long as there is not a cat to chase, or a morsel of food to gobble up. He also will chase a ball as long as you will throw it. Of course he will only bring it back when and if he as a mind to. Shadow will come on command, as long as you have food to give him. As long as he is wearing a choke collar, he will walk pretty calmly on a leash. At night, he sleeps on the bed in the spare bedroom, and gets really angry if you don’t get up at 4:30 in the morning to let him out. He is the best friend of my elderly father who lives next door and the confidant of my young son.
For his entire first year with our family, Shadow lived at the end of a chain or leash. Those times when Shadow got away, he ran aimlessly and joyfully throughout the neighborhood, never far enough to be out of our sight, but never close enough for us to catch him either. As he grew larger, it became most inconvenient to chain him up each time he had to go outside. In order to avoid the cost of a fence, I invested an underground pet containment system. The idea of the system is simple. You bury a small cable around the perimeter of the yard. A transmitter sends a signal along the cable. In turn, a collar/receiver with two electrodes is placed around the dog’s neck. As the dog nears the buried cable, the signal rings a bell in the collar, and if the dog ventures too close, an electric charge shocks the dog back into the yard.
The instructions asked that you first familiarize the dog to the sound and the shock. For two weeks, I diligently led Shadow through the prescribed paces. We approached the cable, marked with small flags, a bell would ring, and I would quickly pull him to safety. Finally, the big day approached. The family assembled to watch Shadow enjoy his freedom safe within the confines of the back yard. For the first minutes, Shadow performed as he was trained. He would venture close to the perimeter, hear the bell, or even feel the shock, and quickly would scamper to safety. We all were so very proud of Shadow. That is when Jenny showed up.
I never have liked cats. They are so very conceited and sneaky. Jenny, our adopted stray lives outside, and is perhaps one of the meanest cats in the neighborhood. Jenny and Shadow dislike each other intensely. Shadow will even leave a bowl of food to chase Jenny. He will bang is head against the closed window trying to gobble up the cat morsel just inches away. Many times when Shadow was chained outside, Jenny would approach and sit just beyond the end of Shadow’s chain. Off Shadow would charge, only to be jerked back by the chain just a foot away from his nemesis. So, just as you might expect, on that long awaited day of freedom for Shadow, through the back yard pranced Jenny. Like a flash Shadow was after her. I can still hear the dog yelp as he blasted through the fence. I think I saw a grin on the face of that sneaky cat as well. Shadow found himself free of the fence, and quickly turned to come back home, only to learn that the fence that was supposed to keep him in, worked just as well to keep him out.
The Greeks often referred to domesticated animals as “praus”. The natural state of animals is reckoned according to their instincts. For example, horses and oxen, in order to be useful to man, must first be made “praus” by a process of training the horse or oxen to work with a bit or yoke. We have all seen cowboy movies where wild horses are “broken” in a corral before they are capable of being ridden with a saddle. Over time, Aristotle adopted the word “praus” in reference to individual personality traits of men and women he encountered. A person was “praus” in the eyes of Aristotle when he or she had an even-tempered disposition. It was a personality trait that Aristotle admired. It referred to someone who kept his wits about him when faced with difficulties. A person was considered “praus” if they could keep their emotions in check and express their emotions appropriately under the circumstances. For example, such a person would not be seen as being angry as much as being righteously indignant. Praus is the Greek word Matthew chose to convey the meaning of the Third Beatitude. English translators have translated the word as “meek” for centuries.
Just as we have might misunderstand someone who is “poor in spirit” in the First Beatitude, or someone who “mourns” in the Second Beatitude, our English translation of “praus” in the Third Beatitude as “meek” causes many a believer to question his/her personality. Meekness is a trait we associate with weakness rather than strength. A man is meek in our vernacular when he is easily influenced by someone of power. Meek people don’t stand up for their rights, and are easily manipulated by persons of stronger and more dominant personalities. Not any of us would be eager to hear our children described as meek. Still, ever the Jewish Rabbi, Jesus quotes Psalm 37:11 when He blesses the meek with an inheritance of the world.
No serious reader of the Old Testament would ever consider Moses to be a weak and easily manipulated individual. However, that is exactly how Moses is described in the Scripture. Look at Numbers 12:3. Moses is considered the meekest man in the entire world! This meek man, Moses, is the man who led the Israelites out of Egypt , the man who parted the Red Sea , the man who angrily destroyed the Ten Commandments and executed 33,000 of his people for idolatry. He challenged the religious opinions of his peers, and demanded obedience of his followers. Moses is no weak and timid soul. He is not a man easily manipulated by the powerful. He is the epitome of a decisive leader of men.
The prophet Zechariah, as quoted by the Apostle Matthew, describes Jesus as meek. Read Matthew 21:5 and think about Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem Temple
So, what does it mean to be meek?
Let’s look again at Moses. Read Exodus 3 – 4. Kneel with Moses, a former Egyptian prince, turned sheepherder, before a bush, burning with fire, that is not consumed. Hear with him a voice from heaven, and observe how he begins a relationship with God that turns his life upside down and inside out. “Go and lead the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt
Kneel with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
Remember that the attributes of the New Man Jesus is describing in the Beatitudes are not attributes bestowed upon man naturally. Instinctively, we all are different creatures than God intends for us to be. Each of the attributes described in the Beatitudes is learned behavior. Jesus is unconcerned with the outward appearance of his disciples, rather, he wants to develop in each of us a certain mental quality. First, we must recognize our condition as we stand before him. We are spiritual beggars with hands up lifted to God. Second, we are people, mindful of the destructive power of sin upon our relationship with God, who long for the relationship to be restored. With these two thoughts in mind, Jesus takes us a step further. He wants us to subordinate ourselves to His will. We think of meekness as a trait exhibited by us in our relationships with other people. Consideration of the Third Beatitude requires that we view meekness in our relationship with God.
My dog Shadow knows how to be a dog. It is instinctive for him. Dogs are animals, who by instinct, live in a pack. When dogs are domesticated, and come to live with a family, the family becomes their pack. By instinct, the dog tries to become the most dominant member of the pack, known as the alpha-male. In order for a person to train a dog, the dog owner has to become the alpha-male, and dominate the dog into submission. If the owner does not assert such dominance, the dog’s instincts will compel the dog to challenge for leadership of the pack. The Creator has provided Shadow with all the attributes necessary for survival in the world. Left alone, he would resemble a wild animal more than a lovable family pet. We have made Shadow meek. He is praus. He no longer conforms his behavior to his instincts, he now must respond to things he is taught by others. Whether it is a sharp tug at a leash during a walk around the neighborhood, or a stunning shock by the electric fence as he chases a cat from the yard, Shadow has limits placed upon his instinctive behavior. Don’t get me wrong, Shadow is no timid animal. He has a bark and growl that has frightened many an unsuspecting intruder in our backyard. His strength and agility are not in the least bit diminished by his association with our family. Shadow still possesses all the attributes bestowed upon him by his Creator. It is just that he now subordinates his instinctive behavior to the requirements of life in our family.
I am a lot like my dog Shadow. Shadow is capable of being the best canine cop on the police force. He could be a seeing-eye dog of much renown. With a skilled hunter, Shadow could retrieve game with the best of his breed. Unfortunately, Shadow will never have the opportunity to be that kind of animal. His service to mankind will be that of a family pet and companion to children. He is capable of much more, but he lacks the will power. Shadow has not been completely broken of his instincts. He is a partially disciplined dog. When I look eye to eye with God, I look a lot like Shadow. I understand how meek I need to be. Left alone, without direction and restraint, I would run aimlessly just like my dog. I am capable of being God’s servant, but I lack the willpower. Believing in God is easy. Acknowledging my shortcomings in the face of God’s requirements is not pleasant, but I can do it. Grieving my sins is difficult, but no one but God will ever know how well I am doing. Becoming meek is a different prospect altogether. Meekness before God, requires me to give something up I hold very precious. I need to be in control of my life, not God ! It is only when I can’t handle things, do I want God to butt in. “There are those who will admit themselves abominable wretches yet will never bend the knee to God. There are those who can weep an ocean of tears for their shame and folly and never yield to God’s control. Many a Christian will start up the mountain toward God but will stumble at the very point where he or she is required to say. ‘What I want is not really important. What you want is what matters to me. Not my will but yours be done.’” (Walk this Way, Tim Woodroof, p.80)
I am afraid to say that I am not strong enough, to be meek enough to be of service to God. I am a partially committed Christian, a wannabe disciple. As long as God keeps me on a short leash, or confines me to the comfort of my back yard, I can easily follow His commands. As long as the task he wants me to accomplish does not require too much discomfort or rearrangement of my schedule, He can count on me. Just let the task be uncomfortable, or just require that I change the way I think or act, or just let troubles or temptations come, and you will see me bolt through the fence as fast, and as stubbornly, as Shadow chased after Jenny. “Meekness is the willingness to say: ‘I submit to God.’ It’s a commitment to obedience that’s tested most when what we want diverges from God’s desires for us. Submitting when it counts is the litmus test of discipleship. (Walk This Way, Tim Woodroof, p.89)
Blessed is the man who is self controlled,
who no longer lives upon instinct,
but willingly submits himself to God’s instruction
for he shall have all the peace and happiness that can be found within this world.
First Restatement of the Beatitudes
(this lesson is a part of an unpublished book entitled "Growing Up Christian- Lessons I never learned in Sunday School" I post it today in tribute to my pal Shadow who at 14 years of age is sick and is not likely to be with us to celebrate Fourth of July this year....he is a dear friend, a great companion and proof that the most complicated things of God can be explained best by some of God's most humble creatures)
SHADOW
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
Rest In Peace -
May 19, 2011
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