I was fortunate in being reared in a home where no religious fears were taught, and where every attempt was made to keep away from superstition and ignorance. It was, however, a religious home, where family prayers were said, the Bible was read daily and grace was said at mealtime. But it was never suggested we fear God or the future. We were in church everytime the doors were open and I grew to love the music of the church, especially the old gospel hymns.
Both my parents demonstrated a child-like faith in a loving God and a devotion to their church. However, my father was different from other men in our little country church. He always expressed a calm and quiet spirit that set him apart from most other men that I knew growing up. You would sense this inner peace that he had. His way of dealing with life seemed very passive and non-resistent. I remember as a young teenager viewing this characteristic manner of my father very negatively, seeing it more as a sign of weakness.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." My father is who Jesus was describing. What seemed like a passive and non-resistent attitude to me as a young man was actually a great strength, a wonderful gift Dad possessed. Being meek or humble in spirit is not a weakness. The meek are those who have awakened to their essential true spiritual nature. The meek are the egoless, people who have learned that ego and self are pure illusion. Blessed are those who awaken to this true nature of consciousness and inherit a deep abiding peace that comes only after you fully embrace and identify completely with the Presence of God. Blessed are those who understand this Truth; It is not about us, it is always about the Life of God in us.
