Blessed are We

As I have thought on how to express my feelings in today's blog, the thought comes to me again and again how each and every one of us is blessed of God. Whether or not we can recognize it, as His children, He wants us to be happy, actually more than just happy, and to have joy. The word "blessed" or "beatitude" is based off the Latin word "beatus" which literally means "to be fortunate" or "to be happy". But again, I would suppose that it is more than just being happy. To me, happiness is determined by outside sources. The sun is shining and we are happy. Our friend called us just to say hi, or we got paid and therefore, we have cause to be happy. But to be blessed, or to have joy, is to be happy from within - a source that comes from our souls and can not be dissuaded by anything from outside of ourselves. I think that this is one of the many ways that we can have a personal connection with God.

We read the beatitudes as they have come to be known, in Matthew 5. It's neat how each of these attributes that Christ talks about are in fact attributes that He was able to develop in His life. He is the example of what it means to be "blessed". He knows how hard it is to live a life free of guile and sin, and yet He encourages us to do so by promising the many blessings that come from trying as hard as we can throughout our lives. And He promises that He will help us. He promises those who mourn, that they shall be comforted. The pure in heart shall see God, and those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake will receive the kingdom of heaven. I can believe in these promises because I look to Him. Christ was mournful at many times when He saw the wickedness of the people that they would not believe, and most importantly He received comfort in the Garden of Gethsemane where He performed the infinite atonement for each one of us. His heart was pure, and He communes with God face to face. His persecution was above that of all others and He is now in the kingdom of heaven. Making these attributes a part of our daily lives takes work and sometimes it requires change, but I know that it is worth it. It is a life-long process to become Christ-like, but it is possible.

I also think that to be blessed is a gift from God. We can not become pure in heart on our own. We need the help of heaven and the touch of the Master's hand in order to refine our character so that it can show the divine potential that is rooted so surely in each of us. When we give ourselves up to our Father in Heaven to help us become what He sees in us, our lives will be changed step by step. I am not perfect, but I have seen the power of the gentle touch of His help in my life, and for those moments I will be eternally grateful.