Was Losing Our Jobs a Blessing? - Part 1
That's a really hard question. We considered our jobs and our situation to be such a total and complete blessing. So to lose it all in one fell swoop...?
I've thought for a while that blessings don't usually look the way we think they do. As Americans, we live in the most free nation in the world! And while the American dream now has many versions, they all still involve wealth, comfort, and happiness. I am very thankful to live in America, and I am extremely grateful to those who fight for our many freedoms. I think we take so many things for granted. And it seems as if only the incredibly up front, obviously good things are called blessings. But is that really it?
Let's take a look back at who Jesus says is blessed (all from Matthew 5):
-Blessed are those who are poor and realize their need for Him.
-Blessed are those who mourn.
-Blessed are those who are humble.
-Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice.
-Blessed are those who are merciful.
-Blessed are those whose hearts are pure.
-Blessed are those who work for peace.
-Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing right.
None of those things mention anything about having wealth or excess. In fact, none of those things are about material possessions at all! All of them are about characteristics. Christ-like characteristics, to be exact.
I'm not trying to say that material things cannot be blessings. I just want to make sure that material things are not where our focus lies. Our Almighty God blesses us with so much more than material things. Things that mean so much more than the material things of this world!
And that's definitely something to remember around Christmas. This Christmas for us will not have many material gifts at all. But there are gifts that were given to us that cannot be taken away. Jesus Christ. Salvation. Grace. Mercy. Love. Forgiveness. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, my friends. I feel like our Christmas this year can be likened to the tree that Charlie Brown picks out. It doesn't look like much. It's small, different, and kinda wimpy. But with a little love and care, it transforms into so much more. Charlie Brown saw worth in that little tree. He knew that the meaning of Christmas had nothing to do with flashy commercialism at all (thanks to Linus). So this year, our Christmas is small, different, and kinda wimpy. But with a little love and care, it will transform into something so much more meaningful than a Christmas full of presents and boxes and bows. Choosing to still see worth in our Christmas, despite it's barren nature this time around; knowing the true meaning of Christmas, we are truly blessed.
So while our jobs and our home could definitely fall under the category of material blessings, God saw fit to remove them from our lives. And I think I'll explore that a bit in my post tomorrow.
I've thought for a while that blessings don't usually look the way we think they do. As Americans, we live in the most free nation in the world! And while the American dream now has many versions, they all still involve wealth, comfort, and happiness. I am very thankful to live in America, and I am extremely grateful to those who fight for our many freedoms. I think we take so many things for granted. And it seems as if only the incredibly up front, obviously good things are called blessings. But is that really it?
Let's take a look back at who Jesus says is blessed (all from Matthew 5):
-Blessed are those who are poor and realize their need for Him.
-Blessed are those who mourn.
-Blessed are those who are humble.
-Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice.
-Blessed are those who are merciful.
-Blessed are those whose hearts are pure.
-Blessed are those who work for peace.
-Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing right.
None of those things mention anything about having wealth or excess. In fact, none of those things are about material possessions at all! All of them are about characteristics. Christ-like characteristics, to be exact.
I'm not trying to say that material things cannot be blessings. I just want to make sure that material things are not where our focus lies. Our Almighty God blesses us with so much more than material things. Things that mean so much more than the material things of this world!
And that's definitely something to remember around Christmas. This Christmas for us will not have many material gifts at all. But there are gifts that were given to us that cannot be taken away. Jesus Christ. Salvation. Grace. Mercy. Love. Forgiveness. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, my friends. I feel like our Christmas this year can be likened to the tree that Charlie Brown picks out. It doesn't look like much. It's small, different, and kinda wimpy. But with a little love and care, it transforms into so much more. Charlie Brown saw worth in that little tree. He knew that the meaning of Christmas had nothing to do with flashy commercialism at all (thanks to Linus). So this year, our Christmas is small, different, and kinda wimpy. But with a little love and care, it will transform into something so much more meaningful than a Christmas full of presents and boxes and bows. Choosing to still see worth in our Christmas, despite it's barren nature this time around; knowing the true meaning of Christmas, we are truly blessed.
So while our jobs and our home could definitely fall under the category of material blessings, God saw fit to remove them from our lives. And I think I'll explore that a bit in my post tomorrow.
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