The Beatitudes
As I reflect this week on the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes, I am taken back to Sunday School when we were asked to recite all eight blessings. And while I admit I couldn’t remember more than two or three off the top of my head, I do know that being “blessed” equates to being in the grace and favour of God.
Out of our struggles we will emerge, and we will bless the world despite it. We will bless the world because of it.
Now, it is easy to believe that we are blessed when things in life are going our way. I have never doubted God’s favour when I have a full bank account or a new season of my favourite TV show. But when I reacquainted myself with these verses this week, my expectation and idea of blessings was turned completely upside down. Our reality is that we are living in a world full of sin, and Jesus is reminding us here that our lives will be filled with difficulty and periodic suffering. But the good news is, we do not have to be afraid! We do not have to hide from our weaknesses or our problems, and we do not have to hide them from others. For both our relationship with Jesus, and our steadfastness in faith, grow the most during hard times. Out of our struggles we will emerge, and we will bless the world despite it. We will bless the world because of it.
So I invite you, too, to evaluate blessings in a different way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.