When symbolism invades your life, your boss becomes a stand-in for the entire world.

To many, “meekness” suggests the idea of passivity, someone who is easily imposed upon, spinelessness, weakness. Since Jesus declared Himself to be meek (Matthew 11:29), some perceive Him as a sissy-type character.

Nothing could be further from the truth. In the Greek New Testament, “meek” is from the Greek term praus. It does not suggest weakness; rather, it denotes strength brought under control. The ancient Greeks employed the term to describe a wild horse tamed to the bridle.

In the biblical sense, therefore, being meek describes one who has channeled his strengths into the service of God.

I wish to be only meek before God. I am starting to feel the weight of a million petty human systems, of rules made by people who can’t think or see or even feel.

When I drive according to the rules of the road, I submit. When I pay my credit card bill in a manner that earns me airline miles, I submit. When I go to work and play by my boss’s rules, I submit.

It’s funny how when the biggest shackles in your life come off, you don’t feel more free. You can feel the cloying breath of everything else that’s trying to enslave you.

I’m out of debt. I’m no longer tethered to medical insurance via a high-powered medicine. I’m no longer “owned” so other things are seeking to own me.

I refuse. I want to serve the Living God and no one else.

And for now, that means submitting to petty systems.