Blessed are....

 

As with most people, I have a tendency to try to make my world fit neatly into little boxes, or categories, which help me make sense of things. This is true with my understanding of spiritual concepts as well.  Case in point:  I have always read the section in Matthew, known as the Beatitudes, as a list of different categories of people who would receive special blessings from God.  I have always wondered which of these fit me, and which of God’s blessings he is reserving for me.  Then one day, I had an amazing thought:  these are not a list of types of personalities; they are traits that we should all strive to develop within ourselves, or better yet, to allow God to develop within us. And the blessings belong to all who seek to follow God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength.

 

Here is my rendition of the beatitudes: When we are poor in spirit, recognizing our need for God’s love and cleansing, He reminds us that we are being prepared for life in heaven.  When we are sad and mourning over our losses, He wants us to know that He is our comfort.  When we are feeling unworthy, or meek, He wants us to remember that we do not belong to this world, we are His children, the heirs of everything that he owns, and we have a great inheritance awaiting us.  When we seek Him out and hunger for Godliness in our lives, He guarantees that we will find Him and He will meet our deepest needs.  He will never leave us nor forsake us.

 

When we are forgiving and merciful toward others, regardless of the cost to ourselves, we are guaranteed that God is more than willing to return the same mercy toward us, and even more so.  When we act out of a pure conscience and stand up for the truth, keeping our integrity, and having only right motives for our actions, God will not be ashamed of us, and we will get our reward in actually seeing him, face to face, throughout eternity. When we act toward peace with our families, our coworkers, our neighbors, and even other countries and cultures, We are blessed by being God’s ambassadors, acting as His children would, as we are made like Him.  When everything goes wrong around us, and we are treated unfairly and persecuted for our belief and our actions in following God, He blesses us in the knowledge that we are not citizens of this world, but His countrymen, citizens of Heaven, where things will finally be put right and we shall see glory beyond belief.  Our reward will be more than our wildest dreams can imagine. 

 

So, I see now that God is not stingy with his blessings, saving certain ones for his favorite people and giving the rest of us what is left over.  I am so thankful that God is working in each of us, day by day, one step at a time, and instead of seeking to punish our every misstep, He is cheering us on and showering us with every good blessing.  God is always giving, so that we will have everything we need to be victorious.

 

“And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him.  May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.  Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”  Ephesians 3: 17 – 19, NewLiving Translation.

Blessings

Daily blessings

 

            I have a patient who suffers from dementia.  She has days when she is barely responsive, and others when she is alert and conversant.  Her husband, a very devoted man, comes into the facility every day before breakfast, to sit with his wife and to make sure she gets the best possible start to each day.  He then helps her with her meals and stays with her all day, pushing her around the facility in her wheelchair, talking with her, pointing out the events that are happening around her, and helping her in every way that he can.  He then goes home to rest a bit before starting the whole routine over again the next day.  Oh, how he longs to have her whole again, to take her back home, and to share his love with her the way he used to.  But life has dealt them a difficult hand.  He waits desperately for a miracle.

            Now, when this dear lady first came to us, she was completely closed-in. She did not talk or interact with her environment.  She required total care in all areas.  She often didn’t even seem to be aware of her surroundings.  But, after a few medication changes, nutritional support, and, I believe, much prayer on the part of her husband and the staff at our facility, she has slowly begun to awaken.  She is now talking more, attempting at times to hold a cup or a spoon, and even to stand and take some steps with help. 

            We first noticed the change beginning to take place when some visitors brought in a Chihuahua to show the patients.  Pets do wonders in a nursing home.  They seem to bring out joy in even the grumpiest old codger.  I love to see the older folks interact with their soft, fluffy companions.  Often, after interacting with the animal, they will share stories of their own pets, and it will always bring a smile to their faces. 

            Well, as the visitors placed this tiny dog in the lady’s lap, she smiled and began to speak.  She said that she liked the dog.  It was the first time in a very long time that she had spoken a full sentence.  Her husband was amazed, and took this as a sign that his wife would be healed.  He told her, “If you get well, Honey, I will buy you a dog.”

            This just about broke my heart. I truly believe that God was listening to his prayers and was giving him and his wife nothing short of a miracle, in her ability to recognize and interact with her husband and her environment.  She wasn’t able to do that before.  But she was not completely restored to full health, so he could not see the miracle before him.  He wanted more.

            Isn’t that how we all tend to be?  We ask God for His blessings, and when He gives us what we need, in a package that appears different from what we expect, we are disappointed.  We want God’s blessings in the manner that we desire them, not waiting for Him to work out His will in His way.  Wouldn’t it be great if we could leave our problems in His capable hands and simply thank Him for the blessings He gives, however they come? 

            Take some time this week to note the generous blessings that God has showered down on you.  And then thank him.