Life is Good

Life is really going well these days. It's summer, and we're having lots of carefree summer activities. My glass work is just right, too. I have enough work to keep me busy, but I've caught up a bit so I don't feel overwhelmed. We continue to wait for a church call, but I'm enjoying this time of waiting. Our family is planning a trip to Europe in July. Life is good.

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I often say, "I'm blessed" about my life. And I am. I wonder sometimes if people know what I mean when I say it, though. I don't mean that all is going well. Being blessed isn't about the circumstances in my life. Not really. God blesses us in each and every day, in every single circumstance. I was blessed during the time that one of our daughters and her two children lived with us in our three bedroom house because the daughter was hit by a car while crossing the street. Life was crazy, and I was blessed. I was blessed during the times of my broken marriages, when I hurt so badly I could hardly breathe. Life was awful, and I was blessed.

 
So what does being "blessed" really mean? In Deuteronomy 28, blessings are given for obeying the Lord your God. In Matthew 5 (The Beatitudes), God blesses those who are poor, mourn, humble, merciful, persecuted for doing right, those who hunger and thirst for justice, those who work for peace, those whose hearts are pure.

For me, being blessed comes down to being at peace with my decisions and my life. And that happens when I obey the Lord my God. It happens when I live within God's boundaries for my life. It happens when I ask for God's blessing as I am in agony at the pain a family is feeling when facing the death of a loved one. It happens when my life is easy and carefree... and when my life is filled with anguish.

When I think about my "blessedness," it's about feeling the touch of God, knowing the peace that surpasses all understanding. It's not about winning the game, making a lot of money, or any other circumstance. It's the peace within the circumstances, whatever they are.

God bless you.