Blessed

Are you blessed?  Most of us would undoubtedly say “yes” without hesitation.  But as we think about why we are blessed, what comes to mind?  Many, if not most of us, would list family, health, jobs, houses, etc.  While these things certainly are blessings that we should be thankful for, are they really what makes us blessed?

To approach this question from another angle, what if we lost all of the things previously mentioned?  If we lose our job, are we “not blessed” or perhaps are we “blessed less”?  What about when our health turns bad or our house is repossessed or… well, you get the picture.  Does the loss of any or all of our material possessions, or even our family or our health mean that we are not blessed?

Remember Job?  He was a wealthy man with a large family — blessed by any standard.  But God allowed Satan to test Job by taking away his material wealth – oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels and servants – and then even his children and their families.  Despite his suffering, Job did not turn his back on or speak evil of God. (cf. Job 1:21-22; 2:9-10)

Job realized something that many of us sometimes forget.  We are not blessed because of what we have, but rather because we have a relationship to God.  The Psalmist said, “Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!” (Psalm 40:4).

Let us never forget — rich or poor, healthy or sick, in good times or bad — we are blessed if we put our faith and trust in God.