Lucky by chance or Blessed by design?

Lucky 

happening fortunately or by chance…

Blessed 

having a sacred nature or connection with God… 

[Tweet “Blessed also means to be set-apart, holy, sanctified…”]

by the design of Omniscient God; rewarded eternally.

Blessed contains depth and requires understanding to acknowledge the blessing. Do you connect with God? Do you acknowledge His goodness in your life as a blessing?

Many associate the Virgin Mary with the word blessed. She was set-apart for God’s mission and sanctified in salvation by the death and resurrection of the very seed she held within her – Jesus, the Christ. 

Common overuse of the word blessed is annoying. Lack of tolerance for the semantics couples with poor appreciation for true meaning.

It’s almost as if the word serves as a lucky charm hanging from a rearview car mirror … yet…  

[Tweet “BLESSED is entirely different from Luck(ed)? … which is NOT a word, I know.”]

Sometimes, the blessed aren’t lucky. Sometimes the “blessed” don’t have great lives. Can you recognize the difference when you ask how someone is doing and the response is

“Blessed” ?

Does that person mean that life is great in all sorts?  OR, does that person mean that they recognize goodness despite imperfect circumstances?

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Luck is by chance.

Blessed is by designGod’s design.

God sometimes allows the blessings of favor and fortune. Although, in experiencing ill-fortune, God still calls some blessed.

So, what is the difference? It’s perspective. It’s a heart issue. The blessed...are those blessed in heart and perspective.

Circumstances may fail, but the Spirit can still soar!

Some of the most fortunate people in the world are utterly the most miserable. Some of the “luckiest” lottery winners admit to the win as a curse.

Why? 

Luck is about circumstances working in your favor. Blessings are about perspective and heart posture – recognizing God’s love and favor – which in turn, blesses the one with the Godly perspective and heart.

[Tweet “The blessed boast in humility. The lucky boast in pride.”]

Circumstances might suggest great fortune for the lottery winner, but an overwhelming view into the hearts and expectations of others can quickly change perspective of the winner(s). They see greed. They lose relationships. Their grasp on reality slips, twists, and turns. The “winner” can become disheartened. At that point, the winner no longer feels blessed.  Do you see the difference?

I wanted my circumstances to look different (health, finances, stress) several times in life. Friends would not want to trade places. Yet, I could feel God’s comfort. I could count my blessings and feel a great appreciation for the ways in which God was working wondrously inside of me. In hindsight, God used the challenges to soften my heart and change my perspective. I’ve grown in compassion, and I understand the importance of empathy. God challenged my character to become more patient and gracious. God showed His faithfulness in my circumstances – in His time.

[Tweet “As we conquer the hurdle – we learn to trust God to help us over future hurdles.”]

God always has a plan.

Sorrow can bring great contentment and appreciation for things that might otherwise get overlooked.

The eternal often gets overlooked.

God may allow circumstances in life to prepare a great heavenly reward, to set-apart and to sanctify. A heavenly plan to create something beautiful for the eternal life… is a plan that I can settle on. In the most dire circumstances, we still have the eternal to settle on.

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I ponder on the suffering and persecuted, and my heart breaks. I wish there was more that I could do to rescue them. I pray. I support the cause of other missions and ministries to help in practical ways. I like to raise awareness for persecution, poverty, and the broken-hearted. I’ll write about it.

I just can’t stop it all from happening.

I wish I could. It’s very hard to understand sometimes. The one thing I can find comfort in… is God alone and His promises for the life to come.

In the hard, the challenging, the sorrowful moments – we can still be… blessed.

(Matthew 5:3-12, King James Bible online)

3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.



We can be blessed at any time, in any season of life, because at any time, or any season of life…

we can trust in Jesus.

God’s seed: James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift comes from above.”

Count your blessings today!

Planting God’s Seeds of Hope

missionzera blessings

 

Brook Joy

Brook Profile-02062016*Brook Joy writes articles on Faith, Life, Culture, and her personal journey with Health (IBD). Brook is a chocolate-loving wife & homeschooling mama (and a Christian for 20+ years)… planting and growing God’s seeds of hope at missionzera.c

 

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