By Drake Hunter | Devotional, Rocky Mountain Voice
What does it mean to have good bearing? It’s more than just your posture or how you present yourself in a room — though, that matters.
At its core, good bearing is about how you carry yourself through life, particularly in the face of challenges. It’s about choosing your words wisely, enduring hardships gracefully and learning from the difficulties that come your way. These lessons, drawn from trials, help to shape us into healthier, wiser people.
But, good bearing isn’t just for our benefit; it’s also about influencing others for the better through the example we set in our conversations, actions and relationships.
Good bearing means carrying yourself with dignity, composure and confidence — especially in the Lord. It’s about serving as a positive example for everyone around you, regardless of the situation. Whether in a personal conversation, a professional encounter or facing life’s inevitable struggles, good bearing is the key to maintaining your integrity and peace and offering that same stability to others.
In the Bible, a concept closely associated with good bearing is meekness. Jesus taught in the third Beatitude: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
In other words, blessed are those who can maintain their composure, even when the world dismisses or overlooks them. Jesus assures His followers that those who embody meekness are better off than those who seek power or pride in the world’s way. This promise mirrors God’s original design in Genesis, where He grants humanity dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-27).
Now, the concept of meekness often gets misunderstood. Many, even Christians, mistakenly interpret meekness as weakness. But if you closely examine the life and teachings of Jesus, you’ll find that He displayed anything but weakness. In fact, it took great strength to remain humble, endure suffering without retaliation, and continue loving in the face of rejection and death.
The notion that meekness equals passivity is a distortion that, sadly, many adopt in today’s world. I’ve seen this first-hand in the last few months while listening to Christians debate politics. More often than I’d like to hear, I’ve heard people proclaim, “It’s time to ditch meekness and embrace boldness instead.”
I respectfully disagree.
Meekness is not a call to passivity or a reason to shrink back. It’s a call to self-discipline and to trust God’s timing, even when the world is in a rush to act. Replacing meekness with unchecked boldness leads to a society fueled by pettiness, selfishness and noise without substance.
We saw this clearly in the divisive rhetoric during the recent elections across all parties. Without meekness — the strength to remain grounded in truth and to listen as well as speak — our voices risk becoming clanging symbols, unable to create lasting change (1 Corinthians 13).
In my two decades of service in the Air Force, I learned how crucial it is to maintain good bearing. The military demands discipline, order and self-control; one of the cornerstones of these qualities is bearing. However, it’s not just about standing tall in your uniform or giving a sharp salute. Good military bearing encompasses how you handle adversity, carry yourself under pressure and inspire those around you to do the same.
I recall the events of Sept. 11, 2001, when America was attacked, and the stress in my role as a first sergeant was observable. At that time, our team was working long hours, morale was low and the stakes were high. Yet, some leaders truly stood out. Despite the chaos, they remained calm, composed and unwavering in their decisions. Their confidence stemmed from their abilities and a higher sense of purpose that transcended the moment. Their good bearing kept everyone grounded, reminded us of our mission and ultimately helped everyone navigate that challenging time. It was a powerful example of how good bearing — meekness in its truest sense — can foster unity and strength.
This is the same kind of bearing we are called to in Christ. Meekness is not about shrinking back from the world — it’s about standing firm, with grace, in the face of all that life throws at us. The Bible tells us to be bold in our faith, but that boldness should be rooted in humility. When we embrace the strength of meekness, we follow the example of Jesus, who was stronger than any Earthly ruler in His bearing and meekness.
So today, I encourage you to reframe how we understand good bearing and meekness. Let’s build our faith not on the shifting sands of the world’s wisdom but on the solid rock of Christ. Let’s be servants to live as Jesus lived on earth, even to the point of laying down our own lives, just as He laid His down for us. Doing this makes us agents of truth, beauty, unity, and goodness in a desperately needy world where they understand “In God We Trust!”
To all who choose to walk this path, I say: Just Believe—Good Bearing.
Won’t you join me in embracing the meekness that can transform not just our lives but the world around us? When we align ourselves with the Creator of meekness, we inherit all that is good and eternal and become a living witness to God’s glory.