Blessings are how God makes things happen

Jesus said to the Pharisees: “There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.”  [Luke 16:19–31]

The story of the rich man and Lazarus found in Luke’s Gospel is so powerful because of the clear descriptive contrasts.

In the first contrast, the rich man’s life seems much more desirable, at least on the surface.  He is rich, has a home to live in, dresses in fine clothing and eats sumptuously every day.  If he had a Facebook account today, he would probably be posting how “blessed” his life is.  By contrast, Lazarus is poor, has no home, has no food, is covered with sores and even endures the humiliation of dogs licking his wounds.  No one on Earth today would consider him “blessed.”

When they both die, they experience very different eternal fates.  When the poor man died, he was “carried away by angels.”  He was TRULY blessed!  And when the rich man died, he went to the netherworld, where there was ongoing torment.  These very clear contrasts lead me to reflect more on what it means to be “blessed.”   

Trust, hope, generosity, and perseverance are the essential practices of the blessed.  Blessings are how God makes things happen!

So, when we read [Jeremiah 17:5-10], “blessed is the man who trusts in the lord, whose hope is in the Lord,” we can envision a man who is not only good, but who is sustained in goodness, and who can make good happen. When we read [Psalms 1:1-6], “blessed are they who hope in the Lord,” we find that the Lord not only watches over those who follow the Lord to sustain them, but whatever they do prospers. They are set up to make even better things happen.  And when we read [Luke 8:15], “blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance,” we get closer to the Gospel message I started with today.  What are we to do with our blessings in this life?  It’s not enough that we can be confident in the hope that God blesses us like the Pharisees.  We’re invited to receive God’s blessings with a generous heart, sharing with those in need, like Lazarus.  In blessing us, God brings out the best in us, which enables us to be a blessing to others in this life.  We’re blessed to make good happen where it is needed.

I wonder if that message is coming through clearly enough on all those social media posts these days that say, “Blessed.”  Are people just thinking they’re fortunate to be seen as good and to experience the good in life, or are they open to being transformed into something even better?  And when many of us say we’re blessed, are we just expressing gratitude for God’s goodness in our lives, or are we announcing a readiness and willingness to bless others by making better things happen in the world?  It’s my prayer today that we will all be “blessed” to be a blessing.

My Lord of true riches, You chose to be poor in this world as a sign to us that true riches come not with material wealth but with love. Help me to love You, my God, with all my being and to love others as You love them. May I be wise enough to make spiritual riches my single goal in life so that these riches will be enjoyed for all eternity. Jesus, I trust in You.