Listen

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain. He sat down and his disciples came to him. He taught them, saying:

“Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

“Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.

“Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.”

Matthew 5:1-5

Think

We all want to be happy, but where does true happiness come from?

Jesus’s words about happiness sound strange to our ears: Happy are those who are hopeless, grieving, and humble? Instead of telling us to focus on the positive, Jesus points to the negative – hopelessness, grief, and humility.

Perhaps Jesus knew that the seeds of true happiness, God’s happiness, are planted in the soil of real life – the good, the bad, and the ugly. He’s encouraging us to open our hearts to the full range of who we are and what we experience as human beings. He’s inviting us to admit everything that is overwhelming and heartbreaking and humiliating. It is only from that deep, rich soil that the flowers of true happiness can grow.

So today, don’t ignore the pain. Don’t ignore all the things that are breaking your heart. See them and feel them, then give them to God who wants to carry your burdens so that you can find happiness that is real, deep, true, and lasting.

Amy Bost Henegar

Pray

Gracious Lord, sometimes the needs of the world overwhelm me. Help me to have the courage to see the pain, but to also know true joy in the midst of a world of sadness. You are the hope for a world in need, and the only lasting joy I will find is in you. Amen.

Go

Go, and know that the Lord goes with you:
let God lead you each day into the quiet place of your heart,
and speak with you;
know that the Lord loves you and watches over you –
that God listens to you in gentle understanding,
and is with you always,
wherever you are and however you may feel:
and may the blessing of God be yours for ever.

Adapted from anonymous prayer in All Will Be Well, ed. Lyn Klug