Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.
We regularly ask for God's blessing on our lives, on the lives of our loved ones, and even for strangers. We seem to realize that we'd be lost without His blessing, and we rightly believe that it will only bring good to our life. The question is, in my opinion, do we recognize it when it comes? Too often, I suspect our definition of blessing differs vastly from God's.
In the beginning, God was. And He existed in perfect communion and love as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with no struggle for heirarchy or power.
After six days of creation, pronouncing everything good, God found one thing that was not yet good: man was alone. As the first blessing to mankind, God gave Adam the very thing He enjoyed most: communion with another being like himself in value, authority, as well as in capacity for mental, emotional, and spiritual experience. Yet she was separate and different from himself. Eve.
When God blesses us, I'm beginning to think that it nearly always is intended to enhance our relationships with one another and with Himself. His blessings are identifiable because they bring no sorrow with them. But how do the blessings we often seek so hard after stack up to this definition?
Proverbs 13:8 The ransom of a man's life is his wealth, but a poor man hears no threat.
Wealth, cars, houses, vacations...all can bring sorrow in addition to the pleasures we expect to derive from them. Payments to make, risk of loss, natural disaster, stress and worry, etc, are just a few of the sorrows we may encounter with the things we chase after. I have nothing against material blessings, and I'd like to have the chance to enjoy them as much as anybody else. However, by keeping a divine perspective, we can recognize and appreciate the greatest blessings in life: relationships. Knowing Jesus more and more in a personal way, deepening the love in our marriage and with our family, friends and neighbors, is a blessing that enriches our life, and brings no sorrow with it. Ten years from now, we'll have no regrets for not having a larger house, better car, or more stuff of any kind. But if we are poor in relationships, especially the most vital one with Jesus, we will most assuedly have great sorrow.
For myself, I determine to make the most of friendships. family, and Jesus. Every blessing I pray for, I want to first pass through the filter, How will this enhance my relationship with God or someone else? If knowing and being known was the first blessing God bestowed on the human race, I believe it is worth pursuing.
Note: many of these thoughts have been shaped by reading "The End of Religion" by Bruxy Cavey, "The Shack" by William P. Young, and "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldridge, The Bible, and perhaps a few other sources!
I just love comments and hope to spark conversations, so please share your thoughts below!!
In a college course, we were required to read a book and write a report on it. The interesting thing, though, was the professor told us that he wanted us to include in our conclusion that there are only 2 things we should pursue in life. The one is knowledge, but only for the sake of enabling us to do the other- to love others. While I felt it might be stretching it to say that was what the book was about, my life was changed by that statement. Knowledge without love becomes prideful, but when it is sought as a means to love others, it becomes wisdom. Study to show yourself approved unto God... and love God and neighbor.
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