What Does it Really Mean to Be Blessed?
I’ve been reading the Sermon on the Mount lately and have been fascinated by the Beatitudes. A lot of times we unintentionally pair being blessed with having good things happen to us. When things don’t go right or the circumstances of life change for the worse, we begin to question God. It’s interesting, when so much of the Bible prepares us to face challenges, that we still act surprised when they do come.
My relationship with God has drastically changed over the last few years. I grew up a believer, and even though I’ve experienced my share of challenges, my faith had never been truly shaken.
Until 2017.
I was a couple of years into a job I was passionate about but not seeing many growth opportunities, and growing more frustrated each day. I was getting impatient and looking for a way out, but not sure what that looked like. In my personal life, I was nearly a year into marriage with my dreamy husband, wondering what it would look like as we merged our lives and started a family. We started having those “serious” talks — not just the pre-marriage, “when are we gonna have kids, and how many” talks, but the type where we were deciding when in REAL time, we wanted to think about having a family. We even took time apart to pray about it and then shared what we heard with each other. We decided to start preparing for kids.
Our first anniversary approached and my husband made reservations at the restaurant at the top of Reunion Tower. If you aren’t familiar with the city of Dallas, it’s a sphere-shaped sky-scraper that lights up. The restaurant slowly turns as you’re sitting so you can get a 360-degree view of the city.
As we sat down, dressed to the nines and ignoring the price on the menu, it was one of those “everything is right” moments.
I was high in the clouds of satisfaction with my life.
Two days later I woke up and found myself holding a positive pregnancy test. This is the answer to my prayers, I thought. I started putting together this narrative; becoming a stay-at-home mom would solve the job situation. I had a timeline now, I didn’t feel like I was in limbo.
How’s that for God’s timing?
Or so I thought.
One month later, I found myself weeping on the toilet, my pregnancy gone. My child, gone. My future, my dreams, my answer to prayer. Down. The. Literal. Toilet.
All of the sudden, I had some tough questions for God. Questions I never had to ask before. Feelings about him, I’d never dealt with before.
Where were you?
What are you doing?
Why did you let this happen to me?
How could you betray me like this?
Just one month before, I saw God as faithful and so full of blessing.
Now, I felt like God was a liar.
I could share my healing journey with you (and hey, maybe I might), but this is one instance where I felt like either God had failed me, or that somehow, I had “lost” his favor and blessing. In my mind, I felt like there was no other alternative.
Many of us, whether intentionally or subconsciously, feel the same way about God and his blessings.
We feel like salvation and following Jesus should make him instantly bless us with only good things, and then when things go wrong, we want to blame God. We feel entitled to his blessings.
A Closer Look at What it Means to be Blessed: A Lesson from the Beatitudes
‘ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
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 sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
“You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’ Matthew 5:3–12
Blessed are we… when we experience grief. When we are desperate for God, when we are persecuted and hurt, insulted, and slandered.
Is this the same Bible I know?
I thought God wanted to give us good gifts? I thought God answered our prayers? Why then would he choose to bless us when we endure suffering?
We are taught the comforting, fluffy verses. We memorize the feel-good moments in Scripture, but we miss the vast majority of the message, which is that we will endure suffering.
Jesus says: you will face trials, but take heart.
In this world you will have trouble.
In American Christian culture, we aren’t comfortable with this truth. We aren’t taught this truth. When you think about the “blessing” of God, you think of dollar signs, success, and an easy life. You don’t picture mourning. You don’t picture pain.
What does it mean to be Blessed?
I looked up the definition of blessed in a few different ways. Merriam-Webster defines it as, “of enjoying happiness; or, bringing pleasure, contentment, or good fortune.” I also used my computer’s dictionary, and it defined blessed as “made holy, set apart.”
I would argue that the “blessed” Jesus is referring to in Matthew 5 isn’t so much about good fortune or pleasure, but about God sanctifying us. To walk through grief and turn to God in it, to still acknowledge that He is God, and He is good, is an act of surrender. It’s an act of worship, to lift God above the crap we’re facing and believe He’s still Sovereign.
I just feel like so many Christians are missing out on understanding God by believing God’s blessings are only materialistic. It’s mind-blowing to see that this Scripture is saying just the opposite; that when we are at our lowest, God can still use it to bless us.
Losing our first baby was one of the lowest times in my life, but I’ll tell you that it did something in my relationship with God that I will forever cherish: it showed me who he really is. My faith in God was tested, and he proved himself to be more than just the God of my good fortune, but the God of my darkest days, too. It’s strange to say that the hardest seasons of life can bring you the utmost peace with God if you let it.
Many figures in the Bible experienced loss and suffering, most notably Job. Yet he chose to dig his heels in and stand firm, unwavering that he would still be faithful to the Lord. As a mama, thinking of stepping into Job’s shoes is unfathomable. To be confronted with such grief and yet to still look at the Lord as faithful, sounds nearly impossible. But I’m reminded of Psalm 73:25–26: “Who do I have in heaven but you? And I desire nothing on earth but you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
If you’re going through a hard season, God loves you
Grief and loss, pain and suffering, all come in different shapes, sizes, and degrees. If you’re in a season of grief or suffering, I just want to say how sorry I am. I also want to remind you that you have done nothing wrong, that God isn’t mad at you, and that you aren’t being punished. Friend, Matthew 5 says just the opposite: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” I pray that wherever you are, God meets you right in the middle of your storm and reveals himself to you. I pray you gain a deeper understanding of his love for you, and of who he is. God is big enough to handle your pain, and he’s big enough to handle your anger — trust me, I know.
“He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” — Acts 17:27
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