Inheriting Not Taking

In their remarkable sermon yesterday, Allison Sanders and Brandi Miller talked about this verse:

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. - Matthew 5:5

They spent a long time thinking about what it means to inherit the earth. Often in our culture, we try to take things. We feel like it’s owed to us by right. It’s typical of how the U.S. has treated things like land (taking it from Native Americans) and even things like other countries (think of Venezuela recently). Often our politicians try to power up over others.

Inheriting is a different process. It’s slow. It’s a gift. It cannot be controlled by us. Inheriting is based on a love relationship and, ultimately, receiving from someone else.

It’s easier to take - it’s faster and it leaves us in control. But so often it makes a mess of relationships. We hurt people, we cause conflict, we bring tension into communities. But when we inherit, well that’s different. Usually, there’s a lot of gratitude. It’s a lot slower and we’re not in control of the process - but because it’s based in love, it generates thankfulness.

Do you have a sense of where in your life you are tempted to take instead of to wait for an inheritance?