In the age of pop culture where spunky go-getters are incredibly popular, I am still a fan of the meek woman. I think many of us when confronted with that odd little word have the simple reaction of substituting the “M” for a “W.”

But there is a great difference between a woman who is weak and one who is meek. Allow me to explain.

You’re looking at the very pretty Hattie Morahan who plays Elinor Dashwood in the BBC series Sense and Sensibility. I know, you’ve heard it from me before but its one of my favorite movies. This is why…

Elinor was meek.

The bible calls those who are meek blessed. (Matthew 5)

It does not say passive.
It does not say pitiful.
It does not say doormat

It says blessed.

In Sense and Sensibility. Elinor Dashwood loved a man. Her sister Marianne also loved a man. Both sisters loved and lost. Yet one embraced the realization with meekness and a humble spirit, no doubt relying on the truth that her fate was in the hands of the One who created her. The other stitched her heart to her sleeve, parading her distress for all to see and feel and was so self-consumed with her own misery, that she forgot anyone else existed in the world.

It isn’t until the end of the story that Marianne speaks to her older sister about her regrets of her relationship with the wretched Mr. Willoubhy whom she nearly married.

Elinor asks, “Do you compare your conduct to his?”

Marianne replies, “No. I compare it with what it ought to have been; I compare it with yours.”

There is something attractive about a woman who is meek. Though she is not loud in her ways, she accomplishes much. She is a safe haven for the hurting. A glow to those who are lost. A warmth of understanding and maturity. Wise words come from her lips and sound council can be found in her friendship.

Because she does not live in fear. She stands fast in the promises of God:

“LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, To do justice to the fatherless and the opressed…” (Psalms 10)

Photo credit: Sense and Sensibility (BBC), 2008