Living Outside the Lines: “When, ‘I’m so blessed’ = Excuse me while I puke!”
Think about this for sec; money can buy anyone a fabulous vacation, but the ability to remain steadfast under trial, now that takes true character!
by, Becky j Miller
Where do I begin? Okay, let’s just jump right in! Folks, especially those who regularly attend church, tend to use a lot of “catch phrases,” words or combinations of words that though they sound good often cause confusion, and may not always be the complete truth.
Whenever I hear these phrases they absolutely cause me to cringe, much like I would if someone were to run their finger nails across a black board. You know exactly what I mean, right? One such phrase is any variation of, “I’m so blessed”.
While I do realize my reaction to this phrase is marred somewhat by my church background, I can’t help but wonder if there are others who perhaps respond similarly? What do I mean, you ask?
Let’s say someone is sharing a wonderful experience and they end by saying, “I’m so blessed.” If I have not had a similar experience, what goes through my mind is, “Does this mean I am not blessed?” If someone has just come back from a fabulous vacation gushing about how blessed they are, and mine either pales in comparison, or is non-existent, am I not blessed?
If someone is “blessed” with adorable chubby cheeked grandchildren and I either have none or mine are sickly, do I lack blessing? I truly have no real answer here, but doesn’t it make you wonder?
According to Webster’s 1828 dictionary blessed means, “made happy or prosperous in worldly affairs; extolled; pronounced happy; enjoying spiritual happiness and the favor of God.” So when people declare themselves blessed one could assume they are simply expressing their happiness or declaring God’s goodness in their lives.
But, I think we are missing something here. According to the Bible there is another side to being blessed, one a bit darker, and one we don’t tend to celebrate much. There is a verse that says, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
Not many folks with their feet to the fire go around proclaiming how blessed, or happy, they are, myself included.
I will be the first to raise my hand and admit that when life goes haywire, I start looking around wondering what on earth I have done to cause the turmoil. But when we do that, we actually miss out on the fullness of being happy. Blessing isn’t just “rainbows, bunnies and lollipops.”
Think about this for sec; money can buy anyone a fabulous vacation, but the ability to remain steadfast under trial, now that takes true character!
I don’t know about you, but I’ll take the blessing of an unwavering character that is able to endure under trial over a tropical vacation to an exotic locale any day!
Please don’t misunderstand me; life should be celebrated, joy should be shared, we should rejoice with one another, but there has to be balance.
We can’t just live the happy moments “out loud” we have to share the struggles too otherwise we create a false, unrealistic, and unattainable lifestyle.
If we share the bad times as well as the good, others around us can see how we navigate being poor, sick, hurt, and discouraged. When we’ve overcome, we then become an example, or reference for someone else when they struggle.
You know, the whole, “I know others have walked this path and survived, therefore I am convinced I can too.”
Old habits are hard to break though, so I guess I’ll just carry around one of those airplane vomit bags for the next time someone utters the phrase, “I’m so blessed.”
Until Next Time,
Becky J Miller
“Warrior Princess”
Becky J Miller is a contributor and is exclusive to SM Corridor News. You can read more of Becky’s columns in Lifestyle.
