“Similar to the story of David in the Old Testament, the Beatitudes make me want to tilt my head to the side and ask the Lord to repeat what he just said and make it a little slower this time. Surely I didn’t understand him when he said ‘Blessed are the meek’ or Blessed are the mourners’, right? That doesn’t feel very comforting to me. I don’t want to be meek by the world’s definition….I want to be strong, wise and a boss. It’s so bad that my pride even sneaks up when I’m trying to mourn- who wants to be told how to mourn!? Goodness, I’m a piece of work.

Here’s my point before I ramble on, the word Beatitude actually means ‘supreme blessedness’. So if you read through Matthew 5:1-12 and it makes your skin bristle with indignation then you’re not alone. Use that emotion to guide you to study and continue reading for the sake of finding out why it offends you. Let’s realign ourhearts and our minds to be like Christ understanding that his methods might seem backward but they are eternity focused. Not just Monday focused. Or situationally focused. There is purpose for everything He allows, sister, whether we understand it or not.

I’m praying with you as we study this beautiful passage in the Sermon on the Mount. I believe that Jesus lead with the Beatitudes for a reason. He was setting the stage and affirming that he hears our concerns yet there will be a resolution to them. If not now, then in eternity. Let’s keep our eyes focused on Jesus even when our vision gets blurry from all that mascara. He is our prize and our joy.”