These two terms are often misunderstood to mean the same thing. They rhyme, but that’s about all they have in common. Meekness means power under the control of character. In Part 3 of the Dynamic of Restoration we look at Meekness as the critical character quality for restoring the Bitter Spirit.
Meekness
Yielding my personal rights and expectations with a desire to serve others
Why do we get mad? Usually it’s because we perceive that someone else has violated one of our personal rights. Whether they cut us off in traffic, steal “our” parking space, or cut in line at the grocery store, we tend to get mad because we perceive they have stepped on one of our rights. If they cut in line behind us, we don’t get mad. We think that’s funny because now they have stepped on someone else’s rights!
A meek person has learned to yield his “rights” to emotional, sensual, and material satisfaction (read that anger, lust, and greed – the three root character flaws) and be released from the accompanying anger and bitterness.