Blessings

 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets."   Luke 6:20-23 (ESV)

We often speak of being blessed, yet a standard definition of blessing seems obscure at best. Was Mary blessed when she became pregnant as a virgin? Was she blessed when abandoned at Bethlehem, and eventually watched her innocent Son die on a cross? Yes.

Was Stephen blessed when he was given an assignment that angered the crowd so that they stoned him to death? Yes.

Were the apostles blessed when, in general, they were all martyred for their faith? Yes. 

God does bless people and mentioned that Mary may have been the most blessed of all. If we are going to use the term blessing, we need to understand its meaning as given by God and not create our own.

To be blessed of God is a great privilege and responsibility that should bring great joy to our hearts, even though it may bring pain to our life.