Blessed

I've been thinking lately about what it means to be blessed. In America we mostly think healthy, wealthy, good job, obedient children, loving spouse, beautiful home, nice car. Thing is those things could be a curse as easily as a blessing. They may draw me away from God rather than toward Him.

If I'm blessed when I have all this good stuff going on, what happens if I lose it? Is my contentment, my happiness, my blessedness tied up in my good life or in my relationship with Jesus? What if I get cancer? Or the stock market tumbles...again? What if my child becomes rebellious? Or my spouse leaves? What if an earthquake or hurricane or tsunami or wildfire or tornado destroys my home and all my possessions? What if I'm a victim of unspeakable violence? Or a disastrous accident?

At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives several "Blessed are..." the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness, those who are reviled because of their relationship with Jesus. And the result of this blessing? The kingdom of God, comfort, inherit the earth, satisfaction, receive mercy, see God, be called sons of God.

There is a lot more, in the eyes of God, to being blessed than what we usually think about. God is always after our hearts, our complete surrender to Jesus as Lord and Savior. When we do that we are living the "good life" even if we don't have all the other stuff. I consider myself blessed beyond my wildest dreams not because I have a lot of stuff, which I don't, but because Jesus pulled me from the pit of destruction and radically changed my life. And now I am seeing Him change the lives of my son and his family. That is the greatest blessing of all!