Happy

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

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

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

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:3-12

Jesus says ‘Blessed’ nine times in as many verses, so should we not take note? Firstly the word ‘blessed’ also means ‘happy’. I don’t know about you, but there are some things in these verses which any of us would find hard to be happy about, but that’s the command straight from the lips of the Master, the author of our faith.

You will have been in the company of some positive, and happy people at some time and it is impossible to come away sad or discouraged. The happiness is contagious and their smile spreads to your lips and eyes without you even noticing. You can’t help it. The best thing you can do is to pass that happiness on when you meet the next person. The message I get from these verses is that your circumstances should not be bigger than your ability to be positive and be happy, or know you are blessed! Is that hard to do?

What about the opposite situation then? How do you feel when you share some time in the company of someone who runs everybody and everything down? Someone who hasn’t a kind or good word to say about anything, and who has a face like a ‘Lurgan Spade’ as my dad used to say. For those who don’t know, a Lurgan Spade is a long, thin spade for digging deep but narrow furrows. Get the picture? I guarantee you can’t get away soon enough, and when you do come away you feel depressed, unhappy and saddened. You don’t need that, so you make sure you avoid contact with that person as much as you can. Not easy if that person is family!

What do you want people to think of you as you are in their company? Yes, it makes a big difference when you are ‘blessed’ or ‘happy’ as Jesus wants and asks. It is no coincidence that the best witnesses for the kingdom are those who shine the happiness of salvation, and your friends or family will not be trying to avoid you either. How good is that? You get to witness and enjoy their company often, and that makes us blessed indeed.