"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."
-Matthew 5:3-9
I can remember reading this passage of the Beatitudes when I was in middle school, and thinking, "What in the world do these (the bolded words above) mean? What is Jesus talking about here?!"
Fast forward to when I started college at BGSU, when I read this again, and thought, "Okay, I think I get it, Jesus. But, I'm the complete antithesis of what you're talking about here. All these words (the bolded words above) I am the exact opposite of. How do I become those?"
Okay... and fast forward again, to about a year and a half ago: "Okay, Jesus, I'm getting there. But, why would I mourn? Peacemakers? Exactly how do I go about being a 'peacemaker'? And pure in heart... Jesus, I'm so scarred and messed up in that area; I'm not sure I'm ever going to be 'pure in heart'."
After a summer of continually seeking God day after day, of allowing the Spirit to lead me, of hearing the gentle words of Jesus pure and clear, and after close to a semester in grad school... I really do FINALLY understand this passage of Scripture. Not only do I understand it... I FULLY know what the bolded words mean; for I AM THE BOLDED WORDS! Now understanding, here's what these words mean to me personally:
Poor in spirit: To literally understand and acknowledge my spiritual poverty.
Mourn: This could mean different things, but to me, mourning the fact that I have grieved the Holy God with my sin, mourning all those who walk around college campuses that are lost and searching for temporary "solutions" to life's longings.
Meek: Humble; to recognize how tiny and small I am compared to the "bigness" of God; to recognize how little my life's trials matter in the "big picture" of life (basically, the world needs to revolve around God, not me).
Hunger and thirst for righteousness: This one is so big! I long for justice, I long for equality; in what I have gone through and been going through this semester in the School of Music I now know what it means to want righteousness so much that you hunger and thirst for it.
Merciful: Forgiveness; mercy is to not get what you do deserve. I am a big believer now in "second chances" (or fiftieth chances... or even seventy times seven chances!). I deserved for Jesus to completely turn His back on me; I deserved death! But instead, He offered me life, a second chance. How, then, can I not offer someone a "second chance" (or again, seventy times seven).
Pure in heart: FINALLY! Because of my sinful past, it's been really hard to grasp this, or that I could ever be described as that. Because of the grace and forgiveness and healing God has given to me, this is now a topic I am completely PASSIONATE about when talking to women. Pure in heart encompasses the spirit/soul, the mind, and the heart/emotions, as well as the physical. I'm there! Freedom and understanding of this is so beautiful.
Peacemakers: Those that look to end strife; who restore. At times I have been a part of this, but I think this can also encompass those that long for peace, and who strive to live at peace as much as it is possible, and speak peace.
As I read these things tonight, at the height of my stress level for the semester (and, quite possibly life; I'm not sure I've been this stressed in my young 22 years of life), I am taking comfort in knowing that I finally understand, and God has called me "blessed". I pray to continue to sacrifice everything to Jesus, in order to only better understand these things, as I am refined to be who He has created me to be, in His image.
Hunger and thirst for righteousness: This one is so big! I long for justice, I long for equality; in what I have gone through and been going through this semester in the School of Music I now know what it means to want righteousness so much that you hunger and thirst for it.
Merciful: Forgiveness; mercy is to not get what you do deserve. I am a big believer now in "second chances" (or fiftieth chances... or even seventy times seven chances!). I deserved for Jesus to completely turn His back on me; I deserved death! But instead, He offered me life, a second chance. How, then, can I not offer someone a "second chance" (or again, seventy times seven).
Pure in heart: FINALLY! Because of my sinful past, it's been really hard to grasp this, or that I could ever be described as that. Because of the grace and forgiveness and healing God has given to me, this is now a topic I am completely PASSIONATE about when talking to women. Pure in heart encompasses the spirit/soul, the mind, and the heart/emotions, as well as the physical. I'm there! Freedom and understanding of this is so beautiful.
Peacemakers: Those that look to end strife; who restore. At times I have been a part of this, but I think this can also encompass those that long for peace, and who strive to live at peace as much as it is possible, and speak peace.
As I read these things tonight, at the height of my stress level for the semester (and, quite possibly life; I'm not sure I've been this stressed in my young 22 years of life), I am taking comfort in knowing that I finally understand, and God has called me "blessed". I pray to continue to sacrifice everything to Jesus, in order to only better understand these things, as I am refined to be who He has created me to be, in His image.
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