Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Do You Know About the Thin Places?

When Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” did you know that blessed, as it was used then meant happy, fortunate, favoured?

That’s a very confusing concept for those who believe that happiness is dependent on circumstance.

“Favoured are those who are poor in spirit because that is when the kingdom of Heaven is very, very close to them.”

Some of you will know what I’m talking about when I mention the Thin Places - The places in our day, our life when we can almost touch the other side. The thin places are those times when God’s presence is so palpable, so thick that you know beyond all doubt that there is more to life than what meets the eye. I first experienced this when one of our children died. The air was so thick with the presence of God, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see a depression in the couch cushion where His presence rested. The grief and the comfort were so intertwined that they really couldn’t have been separated.

Fortunate are the broken hearted for they will see God.

Because of His time on earth in the person of Jesus, God gets it. He knows our loneliness, our emptiness and fear, our desperation and rage. From His understanding comes His compassion and blessing.

Happy are those who are desperate for God is near to them.

Atheists rage like petulant children at the sorrows of life. While the entrance of sorrow into human life was our decision, sorrow and evil do not have the last word. God draws us to Himself through life’s pain and sorrow.

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Happy Holy Days - and may the comfort of His presence allow for you to experience a Merry and Joyous Christmas

1 comment:

Unknown said...

It's hard to argue happiness depends upon circumstance. There's just too many people who seem to have nothing but are happy, and people who have everything who seem depressed (based on the drugs and alcohol they consume). Sounds like an appealing idea to the unhappy, though.

How's the old saying go... "Happiness is the journey, not the destination." Then again, I can't say I even completely agree, since each of us has the capacity to be happy or unhappy, despite the path we are on. Maybe happiness is the song you sing to yourself on the journey.

Also, theodicy plays no part the logic of atheism, and those who claim the Biblical God should have made us all live in golden houses with wine flowing from the faucets are probably the same people who think we have no control over how happy we are (see also: trisomy 21}.