Mormon taught that a man can't "have faith and hope, save he
shall be meek, and lowly of heart." He added that without
such attributes, "faith and hope is vain, for none is
acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart."
Meekness is the quality of those who are "God-fearing,
righteous, humble, teachable, and patient under suffering."
Those who possess these attributes are willing to
follow Jesus Christ, and their temperament is calm, docile,
tolerant, and submissive.
The Apostle Paul taught that meekness is a
fruit of the Spirit.
Therefore, it can most easily be attained if
we live in the Spirit.
And to live in the Spirit, our lifestyle must reflect
righteousness before the Lord.
As we take Christ's name upon us, it is expected that we
strive to emulate His attributes and change our
character to become more like Him each day.
The Savior, admonishing His disciples, said, "Be ye
therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven
is perfect." If we come unto Christ, deny ourselves of all
ungodliness, and love God, then through Christ's grace
the day will come when we may be perfected in Him.
"Christlike attributes are gifts from God.
These attributes come as [we] use [our]
agency righteously.
...
With a desire to please God, we have to recognize our
weaknesses and be willing and anxious to improve."
Meekness is vital for us to become more Christlike.
Without it we won't be able to develop
other important virtues.
Being meek does not mean weakness but does mean
behaving with goodness and kindness, showing strength,
serenity, healthy self-worth, and self-control.
Meekness was one of the most abundant attributes in the
Savior's life.
He Himself taught His disciples, "Learn of me; for I
am meek and lowly in heart."
We are blessed to be born with the seed of
meekness in our hearts.
We need to understand that it is not possible to grow and
develop that seed in the twinkling of an eye but rather
through the process of time.
Christ asks us to "take up [our]
cross daily," meaning that it must be a
constant focus and desire.
President Lorenzo Snow, the fifth prophet of our
dispensation, taught, "It is our duty to try to be perfect,
... to improve each day, and [to] look upon our course last
week and do things better this week; do things better today
than we did them yesterday." So the first step to becoming
meek is to improve day by day.
Each day we need to try to be better than the previous as we
move forward through this process.
President Snow added: "We have our little follies and our
weaknesses; we should try to overcome them as fast as
possible, and should [instill]
this feeling in the hearts of our children ...
that they may learn to [behave]
... properly before Him under all circumstances.
If the husband can live with his wife one day without
quarreling or without treating anyone unkindly or without
grieving the Spirit of God ... he is so far perfect.
Then let him try to be the same the next day.
But supposing he should fail in this his next day's
attempt, there is no reason why he should not succeed in
doing so the third day."
Upon acknowledging our dedication and perseverance,
the Lord will give us that which we are not able to
attain due to our imperfections and human
weaknesses.
Another important step to becoming meek is learning how
to control our temper.
Because the natural man dwells within each one of us, and
because we live in a world full of pressure, controlling
our temper may become one of the challenges in our lives.
Think for a few seconds how you react when someone doesn't
comply with your desires the moment you want them to.
What about when people disagree with your ideas even
though you are absolutely sure that they represent the proper
solution to a problem?
What is your response when someone offends you, critiques
your efforts, or is simply unkind because they
are in a bad mood?
At these moments and in other difficult situations, we must
learn to control our temper and convey our feelings with
patience and gentle persuasion.
This is most important within our homes and within our
relationships with our eternal companions.
During the 31 years I've been married to my sweetheart, she
has often given me "gentle" reminders of this as we have
faced life's unsettling challenges.
Among the instructions found in the second epistle to
Timothy, the Apostle Paul said, "And the servant of the
Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to
teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose
themselves; if God peradventure will give them
repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
and that they may recover themselves."
By controlling our reactions, being calm and temperate, and
avoiding contention, we will begin to qualify for the gift
of meekness.
President Henry B. Eyring once said, "When we with faith
control our tempers and subdue our pride, the Holy Ghost
gives His approval, and sacred promises and covenants become
sure."
Another step to attain meekness is to become humble.
The Lord instructed Thomas B. Marsh through the Prophet
Joseph Smith, saying, "Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God
shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy
prayers."
I believe, brothers and sisters, that only those who
are humble are able to acknowledge and understand the
Lord's answers to their prayers.
The humble are teachable, recognizing how dependent they
are on God and desiring to be subject to His will.
The humble are meek and have the ability to influence
others to be the same.
God's promise to the humble is that He will
lead them by the hand.
I truly believe that we will avoid detours and sadness in
our lives as long as we walk hand in hand with the Lord.
One of the most beautiful modern-day examples of
meekness that I am aware of is that of
Brother Moses Mahlangu.
His conversion began in 1964 when he received a copy of the
Book of Mormon.
He was fascinated as he read this book.
But it was not until the early '70s that he saw an LDS sign
on a building in Johannesburg, South Africa, as he was
walking down a street.
Brother Mahlangu was intrigued and entered the building to
learn more about the Church.
He was kindly told that he could not attend the services
or be baptized because the country's laws did not allow
it at that time.
Brother Mahlangu accepted that decision with meekness,
humility, and without resentment.
But he continued to have a strong desire to learn more
about the Church.
He asked the Church leaders if they could leave one of the
meetinghouse windows open during the Sunday meetings so
he could sit outside and listen to the services.
For several years Brother Mahlangu's family and friends
attended church regularly through the window.
One day in 1980 they were told that they could attend church
and also be baptized.
What a glorious day it was for Brother Mahlangu.
Later the Church organized a branch in his
neighborhood in Soweto.
This was only possible because of the determination, courage,
and faithfulness of people like Brother Mahlangu who
remained faithful for so many years under difficult
circumstances.
One of Brother Mahlangu's friends, who had joined the
Church at the same time, recounted this story to me
when I visited the Soweto Stake.
At the end of our conversation,
he gave me a hug.
At that moment, brothers and sisters, I felt as if I was
encircled in the Savior's loving arms.
Meekness emanated from this good brother's eyes.
With a heart full of goodness and deep gratitude, he asked
if I could just tell President Monson how grateful and
blessed he and many others were for having the true
gospel in their lives.
Brother Mahlangu and his friend's example of meekness
truly influenced many lives for good, especially mine.
Brothers and sisters, I believe the Savior Jesus
Christ is the supreme example of meekness.
Even during the last moments of His mortal life, being
unfairly accused and condemned, painfully carrying
His cross up to Golgotha, being mocked and cursed by His
enemies, being abandoned by many who knew Him and had
witnessed His miracles, He was nailed on the cross.
Even after the most intense physical suffering, the Lord
turned to His Father and spoke from the bottom of His meek
and humble heart, "Father, forgive them; for they know
not what they do."
Christ faced extreme physical and spiritual suffering,
giving us the opportunity to change our spiritual character
and become like Him.
I bear my witness that Jesus Christ is our Savior.
I testify to you that, thanks to His love, it
is possible to change.
It is possible to leave our weaknesses behind.
It is possible to reject the evil influences in our lives,
control our anger, become meek, and develop the
attributes of our Savior.
He showed us the way.
He gave us the perfect example and commanded each one of us
to become as He is.
His invitation to us is to follow Him, follow His
example, and become like Him.
Of these truths I bear testimony in His sacred name,
even Jesus Christ, amen.