Blessed

We talked in church yesterday about how often we have a distorted understanding of what it means to be “starving.”  We use this word to describe our state when we have to wait for more than twelve seconds after we first feel a little hungry.  In the same way, Pastor Dallas said, we have a strange understanding of the word “blessed.”   We think of blessed as strictly material, and most of us would consider someone to be blessed if they have 25% more stuff than we do.  No matter how much stuff we have, how much money we make, how many things we own, we often don’t consider ourselves blessed.  And in America, it is easy to think that way because most of us don’t know real poverty.  As a result we assume that material things are blessings if they exceed our expectations.  However, on a world-wide scale, anyone reading this is outrageously blessed.

If you live in a house that doesn’t have a dirt floor – you are blessed.

If you have access to clean drinking water – you are blessed.

If you were able to eat today – you are blessed.

If you make more than $2 a day, which is more than what half of our world’s population lives on – you are blessed.

If you live on a street that doesn’t double as a toilet – you are blessed.

If you have electricity in your home, something that 1.6 billion people do not – you are blessed.

If you have the wonderful opportunity to have an education, something that one hundred million children in our world do not have access to – you are blessed.

If you own a car, something most of our world’s population cannot claim – you are blessed.

If you can write your own name, something one billion people in our world cannot do – you are blessed.

God blesses His people in all sorts of ways, but I know that I refuse to see it most of the time because I am so focused on keeping up with the Joneses.  I am outrageously blessed.  I have the most amazing family and a job that I enjoy.  I have a church that loves to tell people about Jesus.  I have everything on this list above and then some.  And most importantly I have a relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am so blessed, but I often miss it because my definition of “blessed” has been skewed by my culture.  Today I want to remember how blessed I am and live out my gratitude to God for all He has given me.