So many people have so many definitions of “blessed,” Christian and secular alike. Generally, their idea of the word revolves around some concept of things going right or getting something you wanted. Yet, when we look at scripture, Jesus seems to give the exact opposite definition of someone who is blessed.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
New English Translation
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me. Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.” Matthew 5:3-12
Uh-huh. I don’t see a line of meek, poor, and persecuted people ready to post #blessed. Maybe, that’s because we’ve got our minds wrapped up in this fake concept of blessing and can’t see the true blessing all around us.
Jesus made it clear through the beatitudes that blessings have absolutely nothing to do with our circumstances, hence the whole string of blessed are the ones with not so great circumstances. Knowing that, we have to ask ourselves, what is the real blessing that anyone, even those with the stinky life situations, can be blessed with?
First, we have to ask ourselves, what did Jesus pair with each of the “blessed are” statements? If you noticed, each “for they will” statement has to do with something that only God can offer or do. Interesting, isn’t it? So, with that in mind, I think we can easily make this conclusion: God is blessing.
What is the one thing always constant and always available to everyone always? God. He is the only person who will always be there when life is good and when life is bad. He is the only comfort, mercy, and peace that never leaves, even when everything else is falling apart. God is blessing.
With that in mind, it’s easier to see that my circumstances never actually had anything to do with whether my life is great or not. Yes, Ecclesiastes teaches that there is a time to mourn and a time to dance, and so on (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8); however, in the midst of sorrow and pain, it’s not that we are no longer blessed.
See, the blessing in the pain is that God is there with us. God is holding our hearts, ready to comfort and heal us if we are willing. In the midst of conflict, God is there ready to support us and guide us in what to say and do. The blessing isn’t everything always being perfect. The blessing is God always being present.
When we live life outside of relationship with God, we have to carry all the struggles and pain on our own. This isn’t because God doesn’t want to help people who don’t follow Him. This is entirely because people who don’t follow Him don’t let Him help them. In pride, or even in shame, they attempt to fix it themselves, believing it is what determines their worth. Yet, with God, allowing Him to work through it with us, we realize that our worth can never be determined by what we’re going through. Rather, our worth is solidified in God.
It can make things so much harder to deal with when we let our situation and challenges sway our view of ourselves. Trust me, I have struggled with this, and still do sometimes. However, when I allow my identity and value to be found in God alone, no longer am I trying to carry my shameful drop in value due to my circumstance alongside trying to deal with whatever I am going through. Instead, I’m able to be satisfied in letting God carry the struggle for me.
Now, am I saying this is easy or that you’re going to excel at this every time? Well, honestly, no. I’m actually not going to be surprised if you and I still struggle with this a time or two. What I am saying is that we can remind ourselves, both in the good and the bad, where our blessing and value is actually found.
See, being okay when everything falls apart doesn’t start when everything falls apart. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the good times and the good things we have. It’s easy to allow those things to be what makes us feel good about ourselves. Then, if we’re allowing that to happen, when the bottom falls out, so does our worth. But, if we continually remind ourselves that God is our value, not our job, money, friends, etc., it’s going to be a lot harder for trouble to challenge our worth.
I encourage you to evaluate your life. Do you only see yourself as valuable when things are going your way? Where do you find your worth? Then, create a reminder, whatever you’ll see frequently, to help you remember where your worth truly comes from, because you are valuable.