Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
Psalm 1:1-3
I like the word ‘blessed’. It’s seems to be a very ‘Christian’ word, but there doesn’t seem to be another in the language to match it. Of course, the word works in many ways but I like the definition that makes ‘blessed’ synonymous with ‘happy’ and even, ‘joyful’.
I thankful that I learnt from my mum that ‘blessed’ is different to ‘lucky’. Luck is about chance, it’s a mystery with no connection to you but the luck itself – it’s about who the butterfly lands on or who the bird poops on (seriously, in some cultures). The results might look the same but the belief or being behind it. I’m glad that my mum always chose to say blessed instead of lucky, I think that’s helped me to keep perspective and give credit where it’s due.
On second or third thoughts, counting your blessings can be a little unhelpful as well. Don’t get me wrong, it has certainly helped me to get out of holes before, but it is that self-pity context that can end up reinforcing the idea that blessing is about circumstances – and things that we can count.
I mean, what if it’s really hard to count more than two or three blessings? What if you live in extreme poverty? What if you’re in a storm? Does that mean that you can’t be blessed?
Can you imagine Jesus waking up in the storm with the disciples freaking out and leading them in a song, “Count your blessings, count them one-by-one …” No, after He calmed the storm He challenged their faith. The challenge was to believe in spite of the circumstances.
If you are with God you are blessed. The only condition is faith.
If you believe in God then you are already as blessed as you can be. He has saved you, given you new life with the promise of life eternally. God doesn’t care so much about the stuff, I think He often uses it to grow our faith. So we are no more blessed when the circumstances are better. We are no less blessed when our circumstances are poor. We have enough grace.
Psalm 84 says, “Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah.” Blessed is where you dwell. We have been welcomed in to God’s Kingdom. Let’s live in His presence.
Psalm 1 shows that we can choose to walk, sit, and stand in places that will harm our lives. But we can know where we stand, we can choose to walk with Him and sit in His presence.
Blessed is not mysterious and maybe attainable. It’s not about circumstances. Blessed is not waiting for and receiving the gold ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.
Blessed is where you are.
Where are you going to dwell today?
Where have you chosen to walk, sit, and stand?
Ah to be blessed - now this is something I can identify with!
ReplyDeleteWhether I am feeling joyful or not relies on the perspective I have and although sometimes I do not feel this way - there is no denying that I am truly blessed. Through the good and bad times I have always had an understanding that there are others who are much worse off and if they can (and do) consider themselves blessed then I have no right to consider myself otherwise?
Sadly this is not always the case. Sadly not everyone has this perspective...
You were blessed to have such a mother - to grow up in such a supportive environment - What a blessing!
I do believe, however, that we need to be careful when speaking of self-pity...
Sometimes and for some people it is a survival mechanism. And I am not talking about the "poor me" attitude that some adopt or even live by, or even those who seem to seek attention through this way of thinking - I am talking about those who look around and truly see themselves at the bottom of the pile. This can be a dangerous position to be in. There are people who try to be good and do good with everything that is within them but do not have the ability to see the goodness in themselves because of their circumstances and the situations they are in that do not reinforce their value.
Understanding blessings is a perspective.
Luckily God is faithful!
I too think counting your blessings can be problematic but what is critically dangerous is the "Christian" perspective that if you are living a "Good Christian" life than you will be reaping the benefits of God's fruit - with the perception that this "fruit" has a physical representation in our lives. That if we are Godly we will have: high positions in the church, a lovely McMansion for us to dwell in, good children who a clean and well-behaved, a nice car... well you get my drift OR perhaps we are the opposite of this and have decided to live our lives sacrificing all so that we can "do God's will" being supported by God's chosen who have it all and then some to spare... What happens to the poor smuck in between the two extremes? Are they less blessed?
I believe you make a good point Geenotes - There are no levels of blessed-ness.
If you are with God you are blessed. The only condition is faith.
Blessed is where you are - but this is not only physically - its as emotional as the joy you feel and how you feel it. Its a stance to take, a belief, having faith. It is an understanding, a view-point, a perspective.
It is also about being - as you well know Geenotes - as you are and continue to be a blessing to those around you.
Another question to ask after you have decided where you are going to dwell; where you are going to walk, sit and stand (and with whom you will be doing this with)...
How are you going to be a blessing for others? Blessing and being blessed is cyclic in its nature - we are blessed because of God's love for us! How you show your blessings, how you share your blessings - is not by the amount of pysical objects you own or even just giving them away but by the example you are for others - The Godly example.
Thanks Anonymous, you should start a blog. But I keep wondering, "who is that masked man." Feel welcome to email me at markgee@gmail.com.
ReplyDeleteMark