When we count our blessings do we count the right ones?
Recently, I've been talking with several families about what it means to be blessed. Responses have varied, but most focus on people or things we don't deserve or didn't earn—the gifts. Others focus on tangible prosperity, both earned and unearned. While individual blessings are to be valued, they don't constitute what the Bible means by "blessed." This misnomer has actually led Christianity down some heretical, teological ("end justifies the means") paths I won't bother to probe.
These kinds of blessings might make us feel grateful or "blessed," but stringing together as many blessings as possible doesn't constitute living a blessed life.
As outlined by the Bible, a blessed life is a life built or grown using the wisdom of God in the fear of God. I like the word "grown" instead of "built" because when we grow a life, the reliance on God's power is implicit and central.
In the Beatitudes portion of the Sermon On The Mount, Jesus outlines what happens to someone who has grown a blessed life and the list is vastly different from what we might think of as blessings:
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 receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Those who have grown a blessed life possess the kingdom of heaven, receive comfort and mercy, inherit the earth, are filled with righteousness, see God, are called children of God, and receive a great reward in heaven.
Those who have grown a blessed life did so by being humbled, experiencing mourning and persecution, living meekly, being hungry/thirsty for righteousness, demonstrating mercy and peacemaking, and allowing their hearts to be purified.
None of these blessings are earned—not even by the events listed above—but the correlation between the blessed life developed and the fruit that results is pretty clear. For many Christians, these are not terribly high on our list of blessings we'd like to acquire. I rarely (never?) hear these preached from a pulpit as the prosperity we're supposed to pursue.
So, what does the Bible say a blessed life looks like?
"Blessed is the woman/man...she/he shall be like a tree, planted by the streams of waters, who bears forth fruit in good season, whose leaf shall not wither." (Psalm 1)
1) She/he shall be like a tree: strong, growing, deeply-rooted, purposeful, micro-system of safety and provision for others
2) She/he shall be planted by streams of waters: thriving where she/he belongs, near their Source
3) She/he shall bear fruit: regardless of the type of tree, bearing fruit is its main purpose
4) She/he shall bear fruit in good season: implying there's an off-season and a right one
5) Whose leaf shall not whither: implying an evergreen that doesn't wither even in winter or drought
A blessed life is one that is deeply rooted, flourishing in each season's purpose by its connection to the Source.
The promise we have as we grow this blessed life is that the Lord will watch over our ways and what we grow will not perish.
I find this type of blessed life far more alluring and sustaining. Like Aslan promises in the Last Battle:
Then Aslan turned to them and said:
"You do not yet look so happy as I mean you to be."
Lucy said, "We're so afraid of being sent away, Aslan. And you have sent us back into our own world so often."
"No fear of that," said Aslan. "Have you not guessed?"
Their hearts leaped and a wild hope rose within them.
"There was a real railway accident," said Aslan softly. "Your father and mother and all of you are—as you used to call it in the Shadow-Lands—dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning."
And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.
A blessed life is the real story that happens after we've flourished in the Shadowlands and morning has dawned.
Grace roots us in Christ.