The Face of Meekness

My son has reached the stage where he has become very conscious of the clothes he wears and the way he parts his hair. He stands in front of the mirror and fixes his clothes endlessly, taking good care of the way he looks. I think that every one of us passes through this stage, when appearance seems to be the most important thing in life.

The was, however, one man in history for whom appearance did not matter. It was the least of his assets. Abraham Lincoln knew he was not a handsome man. When told that someone had called him "two-faced," he said, "If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?" How's that for a reply?

Lincoln never let his appearance bother him. But other people, friends and foes alike, used it to insult and attack him. When they were both practicing law, Edwin Stanton would often call him "gorilla" in public debates. No man was insulted for his looks more than Abraham Lincoln.

But the great American president found this understandable and never let such criticism alter his feelings about other people. As a lawyer, he learned to respect Edwin's Stanton's mind. In fact, when he became president, Lincoln asked Stanton to join his cabinet as Secretary of War.

People close to Lincoln objected his choice. They could never forgive Stanton for rediculing this humble man. When pressed for an explanation as to why, of all peopleeligible for the post, he chose the man who so bitterly and cruelly insulted him, Lincoln replied, "I chose Stanton simply because he is the best man for the job."

This is one of the many reasons why Abraham Lincoln turned out to be one of the greatest presidents, if not the greatest president, of the United States of America. He recognized a person's worth no matter how that person may have hurt him. What do you call this quality? Is it patience? Is it naïveté or foolishness? Is it plain stupidity?

I call this meekness. I call this humility. Many mistake meekness for weakness, but the exact opposite is true. Meekness is power that is under control. It's not weakness, but discipline and the ability to control power, to wield it under the right circumstances. And this, I can assure you, is something only big people can do. i see myself blowing up from time to time whenever I feel that I have been unjustly accused or taken advantage of. These are times when controlling my temper becomes a great stuggle, and I end up reacting negatively to the situation, much to my regret later on, of course. The workplace is full of situations like these.

Meekness is the God-given ability to keep power in check. It takes a man of strong coutage to be able to do so. In the Bible, God calls Moses the meekest man on earth, and he was certainly no weakling.

Stanton and everyone else who came to know Lincoln soon came to forget his looks and became aware of his inner beauty. When Lincoln was shot, Stanton, the man who once called Lincoln a "gorilla," looked at the president's rugged face and said through tears, "There lies the greatest ruler of men the world has ever seen." In the end, Lincoln's forbearance, patience, meekness and love prevailed.

Remember that appearances deceive. Remeber, too, that God does not look at the way we dress or walk, but at what is in our hearts: "Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth."

- Francis J. Kong
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Lessons learned:

TRUE BEAUTY IS IN THE INSIDE, NOT ON THE OUTSIDE
- Don't look for the outer beauty of a people. It's the inside (the heart, the mind, the character, everything inside a person) that counts.

PANGIT KA kung:
maganda ka, pro pangit ang ugali mo

MAS PANGIT KA kung:
pangit ka nga, pangit pa ugali mo

MAGANDA KA kung:
pangit ka, pro maganda ang ugali mo

MAS MAGANDA KA kung:
maganda ka na, maganda pa ugali mo

Thanks, sir Francis, for writing this story!