Being blessed

What does being blessed mean? Well the dictionary definition is:

Blessed

–adjective
1. consecrated; sacred; holy; sanctified: the Blessed Sacrament.
2. worthy of adoration, reverence, or worship: the Blessed Trinity.
3. divinely or supremely favored; fortunate: to be blessed with a strong, healthy body; blessed with an ability to find friends.
4. blissfully happy or contented.
5. Roman Catholic Church. beatified.
6. bringing happiness and thankfulness: the blessed assurance of a steady income.
7. Informal. damned: I'm blessed if I know.
8. Informal. (used as an intensifier): every blessed cent.

So I’ve included all of the definitions but the ones that stand out are fortunate; blissfully happy or contented and bringing happiness and thankfulness.

Do I feel fortunate, blissfully happy or contented? Yes, quite a lot actually. Am I bringing happiness and thankfulness? I hope so!!! (If not, I’m sure I’ll find out asap!)

There are some things in my life at the moment (of my own doing) where I’m asking God … will this ever get better? Will I get myself out of the cycle? His answer … YES!!! Trust in Me, make the right decisions (no matter how hard in the immediate) and in the long term, you will reap the benefits and blessings that come.

So many things have shifted in my thought process and also in just in my journey in general. These last two months have been amazing … I just don’t think words can express the expectations I have for the 2nd half of the year … really, the expectations cannot be put into words because I know that my expectations are nothing compared to who God is!!!

Continuing on in my reading of James, I came across this in chapter 3, verses 13-18:

“Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom—it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others' throats.
Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.” (MSG)

“If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.” (NLT)