The beatitudes have long been enjoyed and celebrated by the Church - and for great reason. They are power-packed nuggets of essential truth, delivered line by line by Jesus Christ Himself!
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth..."
And on Jesus goes, outlining the character and culture of the Father's Kingdom. I highly encourage you to click the link and visit those words, so readily available here in cyber-space. As you do, consider what may be a slight perspective shift. Try to read them, not as a spiritual to-do list, but as a description of identity. In other words, resist the urge to challenge yourself to act in this way. Uh-oh...I think I may have lost some of you with that comment. Please don't be scared or angry. Demanding ourselves to align with God's Word is nothing I suggest we should neglect, scoff or devalue. Just bear with me a moment. For the sake of perspective, try accepting the beatitudes as something designed to describe us more than make a demand of us. You see, these phrases describe the Father. They describe Jesus. And they are also designed to describe us. After all, we are to function in this world in the same way that Jesus was/is. We have been made like him and have been made to sample His divine nature. If we will allow ourselves the power of this perspective, we will find that the root of all blessing is anchored in identity, not inventory. It is very healthy and freeing to see the character of God as something granted and accepted by His born-again children, rather than as something gained and acted upon by well-meaning church-goers. We are absolutely called to yield to the inner working of Holy Spirit, as He fully forms Christ in us. However, this is a process of surrender, rather than discipline - something to receive through the labors of God, not by the sweat of our will. I have committed to surrender in this way to the words of Christ in the beatitudes. As a result, and in this way, I have realized more of my identity in Christ than my past efforts ever afforded. And I have found that the greatest blessings aren't about what is being given to me, but about what is being made of me.
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