Blessed

I am blessed.  I am blessed every single day!  Despite the stress I put on myself, there are so many blessings each and everyday that I overlook.  I need to stop doing that!  I need to embrace these blessings and thank God for them every day.  As I thought about this topic for my blog, I thought of Matthew 5, The Beatitudes.  How absolutely appropriate for our study on stress and how God can bless us through our trials!

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Oh Lord, thank you!  Sometimes my spirit is not what it should be.  Sometimes I am far from you although you are right beside me.  Sometimes I forget to depend on you and that is when I feel the stress and the discouragement.  Thank you for the promise of heaven.

“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” – This I know first hand to be true.  I mourn everyday for my son, who died of brain cancer almost 7 years ago.  The comfort that my husband and I have received from God through prayer, the Bible, and church is what has brought us to today.  Thank you Lord for your comfort in our times of grief and despair.

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” – Help me Lord to be meek.  This is an area I have been working on over the past few years.  Help me be submissive and obedient and respectful, even when it is difficult.  I have faults, but with your grace, I am thankful that I am forgiven.

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” – Oh Lord, how I want to take the path of righteousness.  I try each day to do your will.  Sometimes I think I am successful and sometimes I fail.  I try to teach my children to take the path of righteousness.  I hope that they will embrace what I am teaching them and follow you as they grow.  Thank you Lord for your Word in the Bible to help us find our way.

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” – Help me God to be merciful to others and not cynical.  Help me to give without question.  Help me to not let the politics of our culture influence my heart in being merciful.  Thank you God for always showing mercy and forgiveness to me.  May I extend that to others that I meet.

“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” – Oh Lord, to be like a child again.  To accept and have faith just because.  To pray with confidence and to believe in your heart without a doubt.  Help me to be like a child once again in my faith.  Take away the jaded thoughts and the discouraging words that creep into my mind.  Replace them with innocent prayer and a heart of love.  Thank you God for reminding me of a child’s faith through my own daughters.

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” – Help me Lord to be a peacemaker wherever I go.  As a teacher in my classroom and as a mother and wife in my home.  Help me to teach others how to make good choices that reflect your love.  Thank you for guiding me in this role.  As a mother, wife and teacher, I encounter these opportunities daily.

“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” –  Help me God to not be afraid to speak of you.  Help me to share your Word with others so they too may know you.  Thank you for the opportunity to live in a country where I am not persecuted because of you.  Help me not to forget and to pray for those who are persecuted each day for speaking your Word.

“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” –  Lord, if I ever find myself in a situation where I am persecuted or falsely accused for knowing you, give me the strength I need to endure and carry on for you.  Again, thank you for the country I live in and I pray for those who live this persecution each day.

Wow!  Reading and reflecting on these Beatitudes really helped me get into the mind frame for this topic.  You see, being blessed does not mean you have everything you ever wanted.  It doesn’t even mean your life is good.  It means that even when life is difficult, even in times of despair, even when you hit rock bottom, you are blessed if you have God with you.  And, isn’t that what we are all striving for?  Isn’t that where we will find peace?  The only place to find peace is in Jesus, no matter our circumstances!

When I am feeling frustrated, which is my top feeling according to my Stress Evaluation Chart, I am going to come back to The Beatitudes and read them again.  I am blessed everyday.  I am blessed because I know Jesus and he has my back!