I was on
the phone with a good friend the other day. After covering important topics,
like disparaging each other's mothers and retelling semi-factual tales from our
college days, our conversation turned to the mundane.
"So,
how's work going?" he asked.
For those
of you who don't know, I make money by teaching leadership skills and helping
people learn to get along in corporate America. My wife says it's all a clever
disguise so I can get up in front of large groups and tell stories.
I plead
the fifth.
I answered
my buddy's question with,
"Definitely
feeling blessed. Last year was the best year yet for my business. And it looks
like this year will be just as busy."
The words
rolled off my tongue without a second thought. Like reciting the Pledge of
Allegiance or placing my usual lunch order at McDonald's.
But it was
a lie.
Now, before you start taking up a collection for the "Feed
the Dannemillers" fund, allow me to explain. Based on last year's quest to go
twelve months without buying anything, you may have the impression that
our family is subsisting on Ramen noodles and free chips and salsa at the local
Mexican restaurant. Not to worry, we are not in dire straits.
Last year was the
best year yet for my business.
Things are looking
busy in 2014.
But that is not a
blessing.
I've
noticed a trend among Christians, myself included, and it troubles me. Our rote
response to material windfalls is to call ourselves blessed. Like the
"amen" at the end of a prayer.
"This new car is such a blessing."
"Finally closed on the house. Feeling blessed."
"Just got back from a mission trip. Realizing how blessed we
are here in this country."
On the
surface, the phrase seems harmless. Faithful even. Why wouldn't I want to give
God the glory for everything I have? Isn't that the right thing to do?
No.
As I
reflected on my "feeling blessed" comment, two thoughts came to mind.
I realize I'm splitting hairs here, creating an argument over semantics. But
bear with me, because I believe it is critically important. It's one of those
things we can't see because it's so culturally engrained that it has become
normal.
But it has
to stop. And here's why.
First,
when I say that my material fortune is the result of God's blessing, it reduces
The Almighty to some sort of sky-bound, wish-granting fairy who spends his days
randomly bestowing cars and cash upon his followers. I can't help but draw
parallels to how I handed out M&M's to my own kids when they followed my
directions and chose to poop in the toilet rather than in their pants. Sure,
God wants us to continually seek His will, and it's for our own good. But
positive reinforcement?
God is not a behavioral psychologist.
Second, and more importantly, calling myself blessed because of
material good fortune is just plain wrong. For starters, it can be offensive to the
hundreds of millions of Christians in the world who live on less than $10 per
day. You read that right. Hundreds of millions who
receive a single-digit dollar "blessing" per day.
During our year in Guatemala, Gabby and I witnessed first-hand
the damage done by the theology of prosperity, where faithful people scraping
by to feed their families were simply told they must not be faithful enough. If they
were, God would pull them out of their nightmare. Just try harder, and God will
show favor.
The
problem? Nowhere in scripture are we promised worldly ease in return for our
pledge of faith. In fact, the most devout saints from the Bible usually died
penniless, receiving a one-way ticket to prison or death by torture.
I'll take
door number three, please.
If we're
looking for the definition of blessing, Jesus spells it out clearly (Matthew 5:
1-12).
1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat
down. His disciples came to Him,
2 And He began to teach them, saying:
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for
they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of
God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and
falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven,
for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
I have a
sneaking suspicion verses 12a 12b and 12c were omitted from the text. That's
where the disciples responded by saying:
12a Waitest thou for one second, Lord. What about "blessed
art thou comfortable," or 12b "blessed art thou which havest good
jobs, a modest house in the suburbs, and a yearly vacation to the Florida Gulf
Coast?"
12c And Jesus said unto them, "Apologies, my brothers, but
those did not maketh the cut."
So there
it is. Written in red. Plain as day. Even still, we ignore it all when we
hijack the word "blessed" to make it fit neatly into our modern
American ideals, creating a cosmic lottery where every sincere prayer buys us
another scratch-off ticket. In the process, we stand the risk of alienating
those we are hoping to bring to the faith.
And we
have to stop playing that game.
The truth is, I have no idea why I was born where I was or why I
have the opportunity I have. It's beyond comprehension. But I certainly don't
believe God has chosen me above others because of the veracity of my prayers or
the depth of my faith. Still, if I take advantage of the opportunities set
before me, a comfortable life may come
my way. It's not guaranteed. But if it does happen, I don't believe Jesus will
call me blessed.
He will
call me "burdened."
He will
ask,
"What
will you do with it?"
"Will
you use it for yourself?"
"Will
you use it to help?"
"Will
you hold it close for comfort?"
"Will
you share it?"
So many
hard choices. So few easy answers.
So my
prayer today is that I understand my true blessing. It's not my house. Or my
job. Or my standard of living.
No.
My
blessing is this. I know a God who gives hope to the hopeless. I know a God who
loves the unlovable. I know a God who comforts the sorrowful. And I know a God
who has planted this same power within me. Within all of us.
And for
this blessing, may our response always be,
"Use
me."
Since I had this conversation, my new response is simply,
"I'm grateful." Would love to hear your thoughts.
To comment, visit
https://theaccidentalmissionary.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/the-one-things-christians-should-stop-saying/
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