It confused me at the time. It still does.
Since then, blessing is a word ... an idea ... that keeps popping up ... randomly.
Many people speak of the blessings in their lives ... when they are actually talking about things ... possessions ... material stuff ... status ... clout ... money ... power ... things that have worldly value.
Actually blessings aren't material things at all. They are positive forces ... feelings ... of approval ... of encouragement ... of happiness.
Blessing is a living word and it generally comes from people ... who make you feel valued, special, encouraged, happy by their words & actions ... not from inanimate objects.
Interesting thing ... the friend who sent me the Thanksgiving message ... continues to mention his blessings in our conversations ... from time-to-time ... it always makes me smile!
At church yesterday, as I was wandering around waiting to sit down God whispered in my ear ... 'I am getting ready to BLESS you, MJ ... are you ready?!?"
Heck yeah, I'm ready. I've been impatiently waiting patiently ... for something new ... for what's coming next ... to be living the life I want to be living ... for a very long time. So bring on the blessing!
I wrote it down ... so that I wouldn't forget the promise ...
The music was great ... sang some of my favorites ...
Having found myself in a discouraged & overwhelmed place for a few days ... it was uplifting to me ... to know that a blessing was coming my way ... and to sing so many songs that make me smile ...
So Del's making announcements ... singing Happy Birthday ... and I am doodling in my journal ...
... rare & unique ... one-of-a-kind ... once-in-a-lifetime opportunity ... the time is now ... either take a chance ... or simply let the moment pass you by ...
Lost in my thoughts ... about choices, changes, chances ... situations I have no control over ... things that I wish would happen ... sooner than later ... and right on cue, the title of the message flashed up on the screen:
LIVING A BLESSED LIFE
And before I even heard the laughter of my best friend, God, Creator of the Universe ... I heard Him snort ... He simply couldn't control Himself ... He had been holding it in all through the songs ... and He was about to bust a gut!
Seriously. Why am I always sooooo surprised?!?!
"All these blessings will come down on you and spread out beyond you because you have responded to the voice of God ... YOUR God." ~ Deuteronomy 28:2
... and then Del began to share about the blessed life ...
The sense of blessing can be found when you enjoy WHO you are ... you enjoy life around you ... your life has a positive sense of goodness ... you live life as a celebration. Yes. It's true. You find that state of blessedness.
First, you must CHOOSE life. That's what he said.
Then ... out-of-the-blue ... Del took a poke at ME. Well, actually, I am pretty sure it wasn't Del's idea ... cuz my buddy, God, was still snickering in my ear ....
Choosing happy. That's where he went. He said that he thought people who say happy is a choice ... are silly ... maybe he even said stupid ... I don't really remember ... I was so stunned at the direct hit ... to ME !
Needless to say, I sat up and took note ... I was definitely paying attention!
He made a reference to a book titled Happiness Is A Choice.
I am not familiar with the book ... nor it's premise. The Amazon link there says that the author "contends that if you change a belief or attitude you can change your life".
I'm ok with that.
It also says that "Section six has short chapters detailing shortcuts to happiness. " Not so sure about that, though. There are never shortcuts to things that are worthwhile, important & of value to your life ... but that's a topic for another day ...
Back to Del's comments ... about "choosing happy" ... he said it wasn't that simple. Apparently he doesn't GET IT!
So he continued on with his discussion of "choosing life"...
We must decide that we don't want to walk in drudgery & dreariness. It's our choice. We can choose to LIVE !!!
The nudge came ... dreariness, MJ ... that's what you've been feeling the last few days ... you allowed those other people with their random comments to rob you of your joy ... of the hope ... & enthusiasm you were feeling earlier in the week ...
... when you were feeling the state of blessedness ... in your life ... in the life of another ...
Yep. He was right, of course. I allowed others to pull the rug right out from under my positive attitude. Instead of keeping hold of the great feeling that my heart says is genuine & real.
The keys to finding blessedness are life, love, listen & embrace.
I liked that! There was some elaboration on each of those keys ... but my mind was wandering. And looking back through my notes, the only thing I wrote down during this part of the message was a question ...
Do you want to share LIFE with someone ... or do you just want to give away pieces of yourself in meaningless places ... and ways?
That was MY question ... not Del's ... it's one that I struggle with ... a lot ... not going down that road here ...
As Del got into his thoughts on "embrace", I was brought back from my own thoughts ...
The outer man is getting ... and somehow I didn't write down the word he used here but I think it was something like ...exhausted, drained, worn-out ... each day; the inner man is being renewed each day ... becoming more & more alive.
Embrace ... grab a hold .. of the good things that come your way ... especially the people who uplift you ... encourage you ... show you how very, very special you are ... that cause you to realize how blessed you are ...
So there you have it. Choosing to live ... choosing the state of blessedness ... choosing happy (MJ-style) ... they're all the same things. It's just a matter of what you CHOOSE to call it.
And, yes, it's really that simple. Choosing it, I mean. The hard part comes in the day-to-day putting into practice of your choice.
So choose to LIVE! Whatever number of days God has in store for the rest of your life ... don't waste them in random places ... with people who don't mean anything to you ... LIVE them to the fullest ... even if it means taking a risk ... a chance on being hurt ... better to FEEL ALIVE than to exhaust yourself pretending you don't deserve better ... that you don't really want anything more ... than ordinary.
It's impossible to fill the holes in your heart ... in your life ... with the emptiness that comes from worthless encounters ... from friendships/relationships that mean nothing ... other than momentary satisifaction or immediate gratification ...
I love that song from The Sound of Music ... and that scene. It's very powerful. That's what LIFE is supposed to feel like ... all of the time. I want that! God wants that for me, too!
God just wants us to feel blessed ... in the midst of life's chaos. And He sends people into our lives to help us feel that way. It's up to each of us whether we want to "go there" or not. It's a little scary, actually. The whole feeling blessed thing ... because we really don't think we deserve it ... the good stuff ... the wonderous power of being cherished ... worthy ... and besides, feelings are REALLY scary ... at times .. especially if you've been hurt or let down by someone you loved & trusted with your heart ... your self ... your life .. in the past.
Ok .. some of this is MJ-isms ... not at all what Del said ... it's always a hodgepodge here ... of me, Del & the prankster of the Universe, God.
Del's closing gambit:Bless. That's your job. To bless. Others. Be a blessing. You will get a blessing.
.... and God said ... 'You're almost there, MJ. Soon. Very soon. You're blessing is already on it's way!"
MaryJane smiled.
March 2011
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