#Blessed?
Remembering Original Blessing and Cultivating The Beatitudes
In recent years this hashtag has been plastered over social media and the context has more often then not been around things that made people feel “lucky” or things people want to brag about but still appear humble = #SoBlessed!
I have lived in the south for over 10 years now, and I have heard the word "blessed" used for 10,000 different things. A sugary sweet platitude about material things accumulated or possibly a humble nod to thankfulness for what you have such as a healthy family, or a good dependable job you’d like to tell about. Today, as I worshipped and pondered, I wondered about its word origin, meaning, and application. I suppose in my curiosity the Holy Spirit reminded me of the concept of original blessing, and how blessed we can be when we know its source and function.
Ok, I am not a theologian and I don’t know Greek. I get that the word means different things in the Old and New Testament. But just be curious with me.
When creation was new, after each thing God made, He said, "it is good." But when God made man, He said, "it is very good." It brought Him great joy to make especially good things. Then I thought, we are his workmanship, He is the potter and we are the clay.
I think about my creative pursuits and how, with paintings and poetry, I start with a few things that are okay or pretty good. Eventually, I get rolling- in the flow, and at some point, I step back and say, "that is it! That is what I was hoping for!" It feels so good to create something good. I love being proud of being part of a good process. Although the outcome, credit, or even approval I feel I get from people is not what makes the effort blessed, the act of partaking in blessings and goodness is.
Blessing is a spiritual reality not material idea. In the New Testament, followers of Jesus were called to be a blessing, to "be a source of goodness" to the world. Jesus said we are blessed with every spiritual blessing. We experience goodness and joy from God, first by having been forgiven, and then by participating in certain things He prepared for us to do. We can bless the Lord and praise Him for His goodness and the joy He brings us. Then, eternal blessedness is the infinite goodness experienced with God that is to come in eternity.
But, the most memorable example I can think of #blessed in biblical context, is the Beatitudes where Jesus told us what it means to be blessed. Blessed are...(meaning people who experience goodness praise or joy.) Jesus was saying, you partake in goodness, praise and joy when you do the following Beatitudes:
1. Jesus said it is a good process, to be poor in spirit because from this, we become humble servants.
2. He said it is a good process, to be a mourner, for when we mourn, we bring honor to what was lost, and we seek connection with God for comfort.
3. He said it is a good process, to be meek, for there we slow anger, listen and become more patient.
4. He said it is a good process to be hungry and thirst for righteousness, for when we trust and we have faith, even if people let us down we are filled.
5. He said it is a good process, to be merciful, for when we forgive others, we remember all we have been forgiven.
6. He said it is a good process, to be pure-hearted, for a cluttered heart and a weak emotional center prevent you from seeing God as He truly is.
7. He said it is a good process, to be a peacemaker, and acting on behalf of peace doesn't mean avoiding conflict.
8. He said it is a good process, to be persecuted, for the approval we have is the Kingdom of God, and we can do good by Him regardless of people's disapproval of us.
The idea #Blessed goes beyond the superficial use of the word. It is about experiencing this process and spreading goodness and joy in our lives. When we recognize our original blessing, that we were designed for goodness and align ourselves with God's will, we become sources of blessings to others and to ourselves.
The Beatitudes outlined by Jesus serve as a guide for experiencing true #blessedness. By being in process with humility, mourning, meekness, hunger for righteousness, mercy, purity of heart, peacemaking, and even persecution, we open ourselves to the goodness and joy that come from living a life in alignment with God's will.
Being #Blessed is not just about receiving spiritual blessings, but also about actively being a source of blessings to others. It is about praising and thanking God for His goodness and the joy He brings us. Ultimately, it is about experiencing the infinite goodness that awaits us in eternal blessedness with God that is to come.
So, as we use the word #Blessed, let us strive to live knowing that we have the power through Christ to choose goodness rather than curses.
Henry Nouwen illustrates this beautifully…
“It is remarkable how easy it is to bless others, to speak good things to and about them, to call forth their beauty and truth, when you yourself are in touch with your own blessedness. The blessed one always blesses. And people want to be blessed! This is so apparent wherever you go. No one is brought to life through curses, gossip, accusations or blaming.”
So how? He also says we need…
“To gently push aside and silence the many voices that question our goodness and to trust that we will hear the voice of blessing-- that demands real effort.”
Henry J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved
THIS IS THE WORK OF BEING #blessed.
