You are blessed.
Im stunned how many times I hear people tell me their list of priorities in life.
Blessings. For Christians this word seems to roll off our tongue as soon as we start talking about our faith. It’s a word that is widely used inside and outside Christian circles. In addition, you often hear athletes reference “blessings” or “being blessed” when they talk of a big win, a new contract or the birth of a child. All through social media you can find a plethora of people tag p-personal posts with the phrase #Blessed. T -shirts adorn this phrase, hats proclaim who is #Blessed and many athletes wear headbands with the phrase BLESSED.
But what does it mean to be blessed? Is God’s blessing always tied to good things we experience in life? What if you don’t feel blessed, are you still blessed?
For us to fully understand the gravity of the word blessed, it would be good for us to look at the words Jesus used to describe the kind of person that is blessed in this world.
Jesus outlines a new way of life for Christians in his “sermon on the mount” found in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. This personal manifesto for Christians eloquently begins with Jesus laying out for his followers what a Christian life is to look like, a set of “spiritual clothes” that Christians are to wear to express God’s Kingdom in this world. He gives us a list of they kind of people who are blessed by God. What’s peculiar about this list of characteristics Christans are to live out is that they are not the types of characteristics we typically think of when we consider a life that is blessed.
Jesus says the kind of people who are blessed are people who are at the end of their rope, those who have lost loved ones, people who are content, those that strive to be peacemakers and those who exude mercy towards others. These are the kinds of people who Jesus says are blessed. It’s a far cry from somone drafted in the 1st round thanking God for being blessed, or a USA Women’s gymnast considering herself blessed after winning a Gold Metal.
It seems that God’s definition of blessed and our definition of blessed are not the same thing. So the question that begs to be answered for atheltes is this, what does it mean for an athlete to be blessed?
There is another familiar passage that references blessing that we can look to. This one though is found in the Old Testmament and is an ancient blessing parents would recite over their children. It was the priestly blessing of ancient Israel and one that gives us insight on what God’s blessing is all about.
“24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’ (Numbers 6:24-26 NIV)
There is something sacred about this blessing.
There is something deep about this blessing.
There is something more true about this blessing that everyone of us need to understand.
The reason Jesus could say that the type of characteristics laid out in the “Be attitudes” belong to those who are blessed is based upon this priestly blessing. You see, this scripture directly ties being blessed with having God’s face oriented towards you.
Being blessed has nothing to do with material or economic gain. Being blessed or not blessed is not about winning, losing or any circumstances for that matter. Being blessed is all about being in a place where God’s presence and face is upon you.
Think about this. Jesus says those who mourn are the people who are blessed. When we “mourn” or are “poor in spirit” there is room for God’s comfort and God’s comfort is always displayed in his loving face being upon us.
So athlete.
You don’t have to strive for anything to be blessed.
You don’t have to achieve anything to be blessed.
You already are blessed if your heart is bowed and your life is surrendered to the one who created you, knows you and died on your behalf.