Blessed
What is opening you up to the presence of God in your life right now?
I love that the first lesson Jesus teaches in Matthew is about being blessed. And it isn’t about a future moment but right now. It isn’t “Blessed will be” but “blessed are…”
Barbara Brown Taylor says it this way, ““Blessed are the poor in spirit”—not because of something that will happen to them later but because of what their poverty opens up in them right now. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”—not because God is going to fill them up later but because their appetites are so fine-tuned right now….”
God draws near to those who are mourning, hungering, and celebrating. Of course, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work to liberate systems that oppress people. We absolutely must do that work. It also means that whatever we are enduring “may need blessing as much as they need fixing, since the blessing is already right there.”
The blessings Jesus offer in the beatitudes remind me that the task of the blessing – to be called blessed – is to simultaneously look outward and honor the reality of what is happening, while looking inward to name the inner experience and resources within. It doesn’t avoid the reality of whatever season we are in, and it summons forth the presence of the Spirit and that She is up to.
I’m certain that doesn’t make any sense.
In my experience, when I face heartache and grief, and prayer becomes a lament or mourning, knowing that God joins me in my suffering allows me to handle the pain differently. It doesn’t lessen the hurt, and the wounds remain tender, but the added meaning makes them easier to bear.
I’m unsure how this resonates with you all. I hope it doesn’t come across as dismissive to anyone experiencing deep suffering. Over time, I've seen that in our pain, God approaches us gently, aiming to bring healing. God provides us with what we need to be part of Her healing presence in each other's lives.
What I love most about being blessed is that God's blessings are available to all of us. While we have tried to turn faith into a formula for achieving perfection and have equated faithfulness with health, wealth, and success, God’s focus is on our wholeness. It is in accepting our wounds that we receive God’s blessing.
Our lives are a blessing. Isn’t that how our story begins? An original blessing that declares we are unshakably good. Ours is a story of blessing—and God’s mercy, ensuring everyone knows they are blessed. This mercy is made real when the hungry are fed, those who are pushed down are lifted up, gatherings include those who have been pushed out, the privileged relinquish their power, and all the things that cause people pain are lifted and broken down.
What does that look like in real time? To offer a blessing, as JOD says, “is a sacred act that honors the visible and invisible, a "circle of light" woven around someone to protect, heal, and strengthen them, bridging the human heart to the divine by recognizing the sacred in daily life and moments of transition, acting as a window to deeper spiritual reality.”
So, be a blessing. Be blessed. Stay blessed.
You are blessed. You are a blessing. You are the beloved.
No comments:
Post a Comment