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What does it mean to be blessed?

I celebrated my birthday last week and I had many birthday wishes for a blessed day and a blessed year. I was so blessed that even the waitress who served me my birthday dinner wore a neckless that said, “Blessed”! The next day I thanked everyone for those happy birthday wishes and responded that I am very blessed.

But, I got thinking, what does it really mean to be blessed?

Blessed is a word I use often and I think I know what it means, but I wonder whether I really know fully what God means when He uses the word blessed.

It took God only 22 verses to first use the word “blessed” in the Bible.

God blessed His creations in the seas and in the sky…

“Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” Genesis 1:22

It seems God’s blessing upon the fish and birds was His way of showing His favor on them to enjoy the earth He placed them in; to live, thrive, and multiply so His wonder will be displayed. And isn’t that what happens as we look at God’s creation? How much awe and wonder is found in looking at the birds of the air and the fish of the sea!

Then after creating man in His image, God blessed them…

“And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28

So God showed His favor on man as He created them in His image and blessed them to enjoy the earth He created, to thrive and multiply and display the wonder of God! As with God’s creation, there is an awe and wonder towards those who live fully in the blessing of God, thriving and multiplying, as they represent God well here on earth.

The dictionary definition of the word blessed; made holy; consecrated.

Wow, I have missed this! Sitting down to write here is definitely a happy place for me! I can’t believe it has been several months since I wrote my last blog entry. The topic of my last blog, An Open Door, is the very thing that has kept me too busy to write. God opened a door for me to work at Cordes Printing. An employee retired and Mark needed someone to fill her place. These last several months I have been learning many new things as I receive and process orders for prescription pads, Digi folders, and answer phone calls. It isn’t something I would have chosen. It isn’t something that I’m passionate about. But, I know it is where God has called me to. This season looks very different then any other season of my life, and honestly I never thought I would find myself here. Here, meaning behind a desk in an office, using a computer, answering phone calls… It just never looked like me. For many years I have worked on and off helping Mark with work that needed to be done at Cordes Printing. I have done a lot of finishing work, folding, glueing, shrink wrapping… Generally mindless work with flexible hours. And that was perfect to fit around the other things I did in life. But now, this job is different. I need to use my brain to learn so many new things, so many details, so much new information, every day.

So these last several months I have been mourning the loss of my time. The flexibility I had for so long is gone and now I have the challenge of working some of the things I once enjoyed, like writing, around my work schedule. But, with all that said, I am completely convinced this is what God has for me in this season. I know He has opened this door to me and I am thankful for all that I am learning. I have needed to face my fears of making mistakes, my fears of answering the phone, my fears of not knowing enough and am finding that God’s perfect love and power have been helping me to do the very things I thought I could never do.

The thing about walking through the door you never wanted to walk through is that it positions you in a room where you can’t do it alone. And in that room you realize you don’t need to. As a matter of fact, you were never meant to.

In this room of working at Cordes I have needed to rely on God for so much. I have been humbled as I have made so many mistakes, but I am learning that others are gracious and that it is okay to make mistakes and learn from them. It has caused me to be patient with others as well, for perhaps they are just learning or are having an incredibly hectic day. I am more aware that the Holy Spirit is always with me and wants me to ask Him for help. He has alerted me of things and reminded me of details I didn’t remember on my own. I am learning to trust Him all throughout my day. I have learned to pick up the phone afraid, and found that I don’t need to know all the answers. There is are several great options, the Hold button, and the Transfer button. But I have also found that I enjoy talking with the customers and find it very pleasant to help them with what they need. And I am learning that it is good to learn new things. I am finding business is interesting and I enjoy working with Mark and being in an environment where we can produce products for the needs of others. So much of what we do at Cordes is producing products to promote other businesses.

And as we work to produce product to bring material increase, it is my prayer that we work in such a way as to bring spiritual increase, both to those we work along side, and to those we service.

I pray that in this new room my reliance on God becomes deeper, that my trust in Him becomes stronger, and my faith in Him becomes greater.

For every new room God leads us into has opportunity to remove our fears, to humble us, to increase our trust, and to develop our character so that we become like Jesus, displaying the power and love of God wherever we are!

Four years ago I began to write my story. I spent two years writing about my journey through seasons of life and the lessons I learned along the way. When I began to write I thought that perhaps I would have it printed with the hope that my story would encourage others along their journey through life. When I “finished” it, (when are you ever sure a story is finished?) I went to a writer’s conference where I hoped to have someone else read some of it to receive input and constructive criticism. My story never came out of the folder, but I did hear a lot about blogging. Mark had mentioned it to me several times before so when I came home from the conference I decided that was what I was to do, and from then on I have been writing and posting my blog weekly. I really enjoy blogging; beginning with asking God to show me something new from the Bible or to teach me something from life experiences so I can share with others, then the process of putting what God shows me into words as I write and re-write the text, and then finding or taking pictures to illustrate the lessons. I have found it very fulfilling and I also have found that it keeps me accountable. Many times I write things God has spoken to me from the Bible or lessons I have learned from life situations and I have found that those lessons will be tested. That’s when I need to remind myself of the words I wrote and choose whether I will take my own advice or give in to my feelings and emotions. And so, though I really enjoy blogging, I believe God is calling me back to writing my story. I see this season of blogging as preparation and the theme; “What the enemy means for harm, God intends for good!” is also the theme of my story. My story includes many experiences when I didn’t recognize the truth of this theme. Many times I responded to situations by listening to the wrong voice and experienced the harm meant for me by the enemy of my soul. That harm was meant to steal, kill, and destroy me, but it was those very strategies against me that brought me to the end of self. The end of self can be the beginning of new life! It was in that dark night that God’s light flooded my soul. His unconditional love and grace washed over my wandering heart with these four words, “God is for you!” As I traveled through life I have come to realize that believing this truth, never doubting that, “God is for you!” has been my anchor, has been my stronghold, has been what has enabled me to face the troubles that came my way, and to trust that God will work all things together for my good, and for the salvation of many. And so, as I use my time to write my story I will continue to blog excerpts from it along the way. A New Year and a New Journey begins!