We Are Blessed

Thou shall be blessed in the city, and blessed shall thou be in the field.  Deuteronomy 23:3 KJV

It's always hilarious and sad to me how some people equate being blessed only monetarily. It seems for many being flush with cash is the only indicator of being blessed. Never a thought of waking up each morning, moving out of bed, being able to dress yourself, having clothes, something to do and the list goes on and on. Why that doesn't count totally escapes me? Every good and perfect gift comes from above, the Bible says. But to some, unless it's a big splash, they're just not blessed. How ridiculous is that? The biggest blessings don’t come with a big red blow. The biggest are the ones we take for granted each day. Waking. Sleeping. Health. Family. Church. Friends. The simple things.

I know most of you already know this. So let's try to inform those whom don't have this knowledge. Blessed is many things, to many people, but on most things we can agree. Our kids are healthy and thriving. We're not homeless and have the means to get around according to our whims and that which we choose to do. Everyone doesn't have it like that.

Some don't feel blessed because of past misdeeds. They feel as if God has no use for them. This

couldn't be further from truth. We've all done things. We've all got those skeletons buried so deep in the back of the closet, sometimes we forget they're there. We forget we're not perfect, which in our minds gives us license to judge others. God must really marvel at our hypocricy. I can understand the ones that feel unworthy though. Been there. I've done some things that I am sure, that while God doesn't turn His back on us, I believe, in my sanctified imagination that maybe He shuts His eyes, or lowers them, because He cannot tolerate sin. I thank Him that while His eyes are shut/lowered, in my mind, my guardian angel, Beverly, I call her, keeps me, as sort of His proxy. I've said some things, that I could never in a thousand years make up for. I try so hard now to keep those skeletons at bay.
And do you know why? Because I know God loves me. And He loves you. And when He told Paul to let us know nothing can separate us from His love, He means it. God is not a man that He could lie.

The other day, while riding to work, I remembered the time God blessed me that huge, better than a million dollar blessing. I was accused of riding past an ex's home and shooting it up. Yes ME! And apparently, I had my daughter, who was a toddler in the back seat, not restrained, and my son in front with me. I would've had to reach across my son to shoot up that house! So I'm just committing criminal recklessness in the presence of the two most precious people on earth to me. Right? I had a bench trial in Crown Point and everything. I remember being so afraid, I talked to my then pastor about just taking a plea just to be done with it. Rev. Arrington asked me, very directly, why would you admit to something you didn't do? And while I was listening to him, I was thinking about the five years and the ten thousand dollar fine I could have gotten. Lost my job. My kids. Everything. In court my heart was beating so fast I kept asking my attorney, what the noise was. He kept shushing me. I realized it was my heart because I was so terrified. I had no one in court with me but my mom and my attorney, and God. He had a couple of witnesses who said it was me. But when the last witness took the stand against me, I believe God moved upon his heart and he couldn't keep the lie going. He rebutted everything said before him. It was surreal. When the judge told me I was free to go, my mom and me turned Judge Nicholas Schiralli's court room into a church. We shouted all over that court room as my accuser and his crew slinked out. I remember seeing my attorney who was Jewish shrugging his shoulders and the judge motioning to him to let us be. I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT DAY. The day I understood that all blessings don't come in large denominations. That despite the crappy stuff I'd done in the past, God loved my crazy self. He delivered me from evil.

I see others blessed all the time. Friends and associates who've gone several rounds with various cancers and kicked its butt. I had people I care deeply for lose children. Sharifa lost Lauren Laila. She now goes out of her way to continue in the tradition of her daughter and spends time with young ladies, mentoring. She has even started a foundation to fund research for the disease that took her daughter from her. The other, Connie, Rev Connie to y'all, lost her only child, Tiffany. She now ministers to mothers who've lost children.  She has a yearly event to minister to them. They've not just been blessed, and survived what probably could have killed them,  but they are an enormous blessing to others.  They've both been given beauty for ashes. God does that. Also. I had some of my friends, and myself go through divorce, heart broken and depressed to go on and find other relationships that are beautiful like Sheila's. I have a facebook friend that was crossing the street and was hit by a Cadillac Escalade. It knocked her through the air and another car ran over her. She was in the hospital for a LONG time, as you can imagine. Therapy and the whole nine. You'd never know it too look at her, as she's pretty. The tiniest of scars on her face. Her legs are a different story, but she walks. She works. She cares for her grands. She shops. She shops some more. I'm telling on you Shantel Denise. And she has thee most wicked sense of humor of anyone I know, and I love reading her posts.

You can't buy blessings. I don't care how much money you have. I think what I love most about blessings is the sometimes randomness of them. You don't expect it, then BAM! Or maybe you prayed your heart out and God gave you the desire of it. However it arrives, it's beautiful and should be appreciated. The blessing of a new day. Gas that lasts til payday. Cabinets and frig full. All

blessings. The key is to stop discounting life's little blessings, so focused on the huge ones. I love seeing all you guys blessed. I celebrate unbeknownst to you, with you a lot. Like my pastor, Dr. Jackson says, when God is blessing around us, He's in the neighborhood. That's shout worthy right there!

And remember, thank you makes room for more.      


We're blessed in the city, we're blessed in the field
We're blessed when we come and when we go
We cast down every stronghold
Sickness and poverty must cease
For the devil is defeated
We are blessed.
Fred Hammond & Radical For Christ.

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