The Lord talks a lot about being meek. In fact He promises that the meek shall inherit the earth. This morning in 3 Nephi 12, we read His words "But I say unto you, that ye shall not resist evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also..." This can be a bit hard. Not too many of us enjoy having someone hurt us, physically or emotionally. So, why does God want us to take it? Are we expected to be a door mat for others? Somehow, I don't think that's the image He wants us to portray. After all, He has also told us to "be of good courage" and "let your light shine" and "be valiant" and other such words.
I appreciate anyone, but especially women, who stand strong for righteous principles. I enjoy reading, or listening to, the words of Sheri Dew. In her book No One Can Take Your Place, she says "None of us come to this earth to gain our worth; we brought it with us." I find that really encouraging. Also, "We too need unflinching moral courage." She is certainly an excellent example as someone once remarked to her, "Sister Dew, every morning when you wake up I'll bet the adversary says to himself, 'Oh heck, she's awake again.'" Not at all surprising! She also went on to say, "May we have the courage to do what we were elected to do and what we agreed to do..." (referring to our participation in the pre-mortal council in Heaven where we chose to follow Jesus Christ rather than Satan)
So how do we reconcile these two seemingly opposite characteristics? First of all, I think it's important to always remember that "Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord" so we don't succumb to the concept that we need to mete out punishment to be a guardian of Justice. That tends to make people pompous and eventually cruel. Whatever path we start on will determine where we end up. We don't want to end up like the Hitlers of mankind, judging who deserves what kind of treatment. Yet, it's also important that we don't become so wishy-washy that we don't stand for anything. The Lord has also spoken of being "lukewarm so I shall spew thee out of my mouth". We don't want to be salt that has lost its savor.
Recently I passed through a bit of an emotional/spiritual crisis. I never doubt my testimony of the existence and love of God and Jesus Christ but I do doubt my own abilities and wisdom. That's okay, but only to the extent that it doesn't limit my progress. As I prayed to know how to deal with loved ones who question/challenge me, I was reassured that I know what I know. I may not be an influence for good even though I try. I may not ever be a light that guides someone to Christ. But I can be confident that I know God loves me. I know I can play a part, no matter how small, in preparing for the return of Jesus Christ to rule and reign. I have to just keep going with the confidence that I know what I know, no matter what others think. I can have the courage to testify, whether or not others believe me. I can do this.
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