I'm not as articulate as some, but there has been something on my mind. I teach 11th and 12th graders. I asked them to create autobiographical presentations once and was shocked at the amounts of "I love Money" and "I'm going to be rich one day"s...it was sad. Most of them believe in God and often get upset if someone in the class refutes the fact that God exist, however, when they talk about being "blessed" by God, they talk about what will be given to them. My group of teenagers aren't unique in this. We often ascribe the nomenclature “blessing” to material or financial gain. In our culture of excess and
accumulation, “blessings” are outwards signs that you’ve worked hard and have “earned”
the desires of your hearts. Well, in
some cases, this can be true. One may
have worked towards a goal, e.g. getting a Bentley, and reached said goal by
applying all one’s heart, mind, and soul into the achievement of that goal…BUT…can
that be considered a blessing? It’s more
a temporary fix to an eternal longing..the need for something outside of one’s
self to satisfy.
Alternatively, there are some who work hard towards whatever
goal they set their minds toward who NEVER achieve their goals. Everyone who works for a Bentley isn’t guaranteed
to be able to afford one. Does that mean
that they want it less or that they aren’t blessed enough to get the car? Are blessings giving discriminately to a select few? I have a problem with this merit-based
line of thinking because it suggests that we can work hard enough and
accomplish anything. I’ve known people
who’ve worked all their lives since the age of 16 who still can’t afford to
retire at 70. Were they not worthy of
blessings? Was their work not sufficient
to deserve rest?
We’ve created this idea that God wants to feed our
idolatry. He’s on standby for us to call
up and ask for worldly gain and selfish renown—blessings that make us look like
gods among men. We need to redefine what
we consider a blessing. Blessings are
not giving so that one can build storehouses of wealth and earthly monuments to
ourselves….blessings are given so that God can be glorified.
We need to realize that it’s not about us. We need to remove ourselves when we pray for
blessings. How are we furthering God’s
kingdom? Are we content serving God, or
are we filling empty voids? Honestly, blessings are not always pleasant. Blessings are gifts bestowed upon us by God
that draw us nearer to him. That means,
yes, sometimes blessings come in the form of struggles. A flat tire, not getting that Bentley you
think you deserve, a missed opportunity...what about tragedy, situations that
rock the foundations of our existence that leave us wondering why? Those moments when you feel your strength is
not enough to get you through…when you feel like giving up, those, too, are
blessings. It’s only when we realize
that NOTHING is within our control, that success in this broken world is temporary,
and that chasing shadows leave us empty and lost can we appreciate “blessings”
for what they are. Beacons that draw us
closer to our creator.
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