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Here we find ourselves in the month of May, and many of us automatically think of Mother’s Day, when we recognize our mothers, grandmothers and other women who have been meaningful in our life. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was “blessed among women”, it was the Lord God who had favored her.
One of the most frequently used words in the Christian’s vocabulary is blessed. “Have a blessed day,” and “God bless you” are just a couple of the ways it is used. Many times, you may hear people who’ve gathered a lot of material wealth describe themselves as “blessed.” Some people think of blessed as “good fortune”. Is that what it means to be blessed?
Many of us will think of the Beatitudes when we think of the word blessed used in the Bible. In these passages Jesus uses the term blessed as a spiritual state of well-being and prosperity—a deep, joy-filled contentment based on a relationship with God, that will not be shaken by poverty, grief, famine, persecution, war, or any other trial or tragedy we face in life.
When we think about this in human terms, the situations presented in the Beatitudes are far from blessings, however with God’s presence with us through difficult times, we are blessed by Him in them. If you’ve been through a tough time, you realize it’s often hard to understand those thoughts while you are in the middle of the situation.
Whenever I read the Beatitudes I recall my Grandmother Josephine. As a child I spent many summers with my grandparents, and I heard Grandma Jo say we must be thankful for hard times, and that they were a blessing. I must admit that as a child that confused me. My older, and obviously wiser, sister explained that when we have bad times, it makes us appreciate good times – and that made a little sense. As an adult, and as my relationship with God has grown, I understand what her words mean to me as a follower of Christ.
The true servant of God is blessed, regardless of circumstances, because God has favored him or her with a fully satisfied soul. Material things are nice, pleasant, and sometimes necessary, but will never bring genuine happiness or contentment. True fulfillment and peace will only be found in a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
May God Bless you and keep you. May you have an opportunity to spend some quality time with those amazing women in your life during this wonderful month of May.
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