BLESSED OR FORTUNATE
Genesis 12:1-3
Matthew 25:31-46
I've been thinking the meanings and implications of the words "blessed" and fortunate.
I feel fortunate that, through the randomness of the universe, I was born white, fairly intelligent and fully able, into a middle class family, and grew up not only in a time where new and varied opportunities and options were opening up for women but also when grants and scholarships were far more abundant than they are now. Comparing the circumstances of my life with the majority of people on this planet, I am very fortunate, indeed. Using the analogy of a race, I started far, far closer to the finish line than they did.
And here's the thing, I had no more control over when, where, and to whom I was born than anyone else in the world. Nearly 1/2 of the world's population — more than 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. More than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty — less than $1.25 a day. 1 billion children worldwide are living in poverty. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. ("11 Facts about Global Poverty,"
https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-global-poverty)
Neither myself or the poor have any control over where, when and to whom we were born, so can I justly say, I'm better than they are? Can I claim that I have more worth as a human being, that God loves me more than God loves them, that God has blessed me and not over 3 billion people in the world? No, I can't, and yet it is so easy for those of us who are " more fortunate" to fall into the same trap of the Pharisees by claiming that because people are poor, there is something wrong with them.
Could it be that there is something wrong us, or at least our perspective?
My understanding from scripture is that a blessing is something bestowed upon us, and when it's from God, it is a gift that is given unconditionally out of God's love for us and God's purposes. When I look at how God has been at work in my life in ways that have exceeded my circumstances, I do feel blessed. But with blessing comes a responsibility.
In Genesis 12:1-3, God tells Abraham that God is blessing him so that he and his offspring can be "a blessing to all peoples." Abraham is blessed not because he is better than anyone else, nor is he promised prosperity for prosperity's sake and for his own profit. Abraham is blessed to bless others.
In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus reminds us of our responsibility as blessed people. He calls us to invest our time and our resources in the lives of the "least among us." If we have a roof over our heads, adequate clothing, clean water, food and health care, how will we bless those who don't have these things. If we say of someone, "except for the grace of God go I, how will we share that grace with them?
It's not that so many in the world go unblessed and unloved by God. Maybe we are the blessing and the expression of God's love for them, and we have been inactive. So what are we going to do to live a life worthy of God's love and blessings?
Matthew 25:31-46
I've been thinking the meanings and implications of the words "blessed" and fortunate.
I feel fortunate that, through the randomness of the universe, I was born white, fairly intelligent and fully able, into a middle class family, and grew up not only in a time where new and varied opportunities and options were opening up for women but also when grants and scholarships were far more abundant than they are now. Comparing the circumstances of my life with the majority of people on this planet, I am very fortunate, indeed. Using the analogy of a race, I started far, far closer to the finish line than they did.
And here's the thing, I had no more control over when, where, and to whom I was born than anyone else in the world. Nearly 1/2 of the world's population — more than 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. More than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty — less than $1.25 a day. 1 billion children worldwide are living in poverty. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. ("11 Facts about Global Poverty,"
https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-global-poverty)
Neither myself or the poor have any control over where, when and to whom we were born, so can I justly say, I'm better than they are? Can I claim that I have more worth as a human being, that God loves me more than God loves them, that God has blessed me and not over 3 billion people in the world? No, I can't, and yet it is so easy for those of us who are " more fortunate" to fall into the same trap of the Pharisees by claiming that because people are poor, there is something wrong with them.
Could it be that there is something wrong us, or at least our perspective?
My understanding from scripture is that a blessing is something bestowed upon us, and when it's from God, it is a gift that is given unconditionally out of God's love for us and God's purposes. When I look at how God has been at work in my life in ways that have exceeded my circumstances, I do feel blessed. But with blessing comes a responsibility.
In Genesis 12:1-3, God tells Abraham that God is blessing him so that he and his offspring can be "a blessing to all peoples." Abraham is blessed not because he is better than anyone else, nor is he promised prosperity for prosperity's sake and for his own profit. Abraham is blessed to bless others.
In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus reminds us of our responsibility as blessed people. He calls us to invest our time and our resources in the lives of the "least among us." If we have a roof over our heads, adequate clothing, clean water, food and health care, how will we bless those who don't have these things. If we say of someone, "except for the grace of God go I, how will we share that grace with them?
It's not that so many in the world go unblessed and unloved by God. Maybe we are the blessing and the expression of God's love for them, and we have been inactive. So what are we going to do to live a life worthy of God's love and blessings?
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