Are You #Blessed?
When my kids were little, there was a shiny, new luxury car in the parent drop-off at school each morning whose license plate read, “4U2NV”. I remember thinking this seemed rather pretentious and I wondered if the driver might be a bit self-absorbed. Spiking jealousy in others would not be a motivation for my purchase of a new car. But this morning I was thinking that perhaps our posts on social media have this license plate invisibly stamped all over them only with the humble #Blessed showing instead.
“Look at my beautiful vacation pictures on an exotic island!” #Blessed
“Here are my kids all smiling in matching outfits while sailing across the Pacific!” #Blessed
“I have 10,000 followers on Instagram!” #Blessed
Now having these things isn’t necessarily bad. You probably would hear me scream #BLESSED if any of these were true for me. But I wonder why we only put #Blessed on these types of scenarios? Perhaps it is because we are confused with our definition of what blessed is.
I confess I used to think you could easily substitute the word happy for blessed. (After all, the Beatitudes are simply a prescription for happiness, right?) But what if feeling blessed meant something much deeper and more meaningful than just being happy? I believe we can feel blessed even while experiencing unhappy circumstances. Feeling blessed comes from an inner satisfaction, not from “happy-ever-afters.” Deep, abiding satisfaction only comes from spending time with Jesus, taking in all He says and surrendering our stubborn wills to His divine plan. It comes from giving Him our disappointments, discouragements, and despair in exchange for His strength, joy, and hope indescribable.
I’m not opposed to using #Blessed. I have used it in the past and will most likely use it again. But I will keep in mind that it isn’t true only for the picture-worthy, happy events in my life. It is also for the times I desperately need God and He proves Himself faithful.
“I feel like I’m falling apart but Christ is holding me together!” #Blessed
“Chaos is spinning all around me but Christ is making it well deep within my soul.” #Blessed
“I don’t understand this painful season but God is present with me.” #Blessed.
God shows up! He is faithful. He is in our happy snapshots of life as well as in the painful circumstances we don’t necessarily want to showcase. When we are afraid, we can trust Him. He is good! Our blessings are not in the gifts we possess but in the Giver. He is our #Blessed.
