Checking MY Be-Attitudes

God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Matthew 5:3 NLT

Oh man…this week was a tough one for me. Family recovering from illness, work colleagues were terminated or laid off, friends enduring hardships, and communities mourning losses of loved ones. I didn’t have to listen to the news to be exposed to the hardships this life was throwing at me and the people around me. In most cases, I was mourning as others were mourning. And I was rejoicing as others rejoiced (or at least tried). While those rejoicings were far and few between, I really tried to demonstrate a spirit of gratitude even though my surroundings justified otherwise.

For many of us we adopt the attitude and emotions associated with the specific circumstances. If we get an unexpected raise or extra dollars in our account, we are jumping up and down with happiness. lf we experience a loss of a loved one or a fight with a boyfriend or girlfriend, we are heartbroken and left alone to contend with the alone-ness. If a life change occurs that is outside of our normal, we may grow angry and resentful. It is in these emotions or life changes that if we are “real” we see our weaknesses and pray God’s might will help us overcome. However, in most of these cases, we are trying to “fix” it on our own and ultimately turn to God when it is not changing fast enough.

In this passage, Matthew 5:3, Jesus proclaims, “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs“. The words “bless” and “poor’ do not speak of financial gain but rather our inequities and self deficiencies. At the core it speaks to how, when we are at our most vulnerable and weak, God is the anchor to how we make it out of the storm. In our weakness and frailties, He demonstrates strength. Where I am weak, He is strong!

Have you ever wondered how that can happen? One moment you are heartbroken and in tears and the next moment you are able to wake up with a new perspective. I have cried myself into sleep many many nights and then the next morning I am thinking about what new thing I am going to do that day. The memory of my aches are in the past. In fact, there have been times when I have chuckled at the way I handled or tried to control the situation. If you are honest with yourself, you would realize this too. There is something, however, you never thought would be the one ingredient to get you from one attitude to the next.

That special sauce is called “surrender”. When Jesus speaks to those “poor in spirit” He is addressing those who intentionally surrender the hurt to Him. It is the moment when you say, “I am done dwelling on this heartache, worry, anger or fear” and you ask or tell God (depending on how bold you think you are) “Father, You take this situation and handle it in the best way You know how”. At the moment of surrender, you are giving God the opportunity to do what He does best. Handle the business! And, you ultimately will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven – code for His peace, His grace, His joy, His mercy, His grace, and His strength – to name a few. The Kingdom is all of these and then some. So I ask you, would you rather wallow in your pity and pain or relish in His Kingdom?

Lately, I am reminded of the conversation Jesus had in Matthew 5 referred to the Sermon on the Mount. Like usual, a crowd had gathered around Jesus to discuss normal stuff of life. At first He started speaking with His disciples but as you continue reading the chapter, He shifts the focus to address all of us. In that discussion, Jesus said “God blesses” eight times. These beatitudes should be seen as “Be-Attitudes” meaning if you follow Jesus, you should be a person with these “attitudes”.

Today, we use blessed as a hashtag – #blessed – “Look at all my great stuff! Look at my great life!” For Jesus, blessed was more than a hashtag. When you read blessed in these versus, substitute for grateful / happy /fortunate and watch how it compels you to consider your gratitude level and the surprise of what happens once we surrender.

• Grateful / Happy / Fortunate are those who are poor and realize their need for God.
• Grateful / Happy / Fortunate are those who mourn.
• Grateful / Happy / Fortunate are those who are humble.
• Grateful / Happy / Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for justice.
• Grateful / Happy / Fortunate are those who are merciful.
• Grateful / Happy / Fortunate are those whose heart is pure.
• Grateful / Happy / Fortunate are those who work for peace.
• Grateful / Happy / Fortunate are those who are persecuted for doing right.

Think about it…

How is it possible to be Blessed / Grateful / Happy / Fortunate when difficult or challenging things happen in your life? Think of an example.

Which one of the attitudes in these versus do you feel like you need in your life now?

These “attitudes” don’t come naturally or easily. But God can change us into “be-attitude” people once we surrender it all unto Him.

…now what, Linda