Be Blessed: Recognizing and Receiving God’s Gifts
How have we been blessed?
I am sure this is a question many have asked themselves for centuries. And most certainly, it is a question many have unwittingly failed to examine over the course of their lifetimes.
Day after day we travel through our routines full of listlessness, bordering on depression, thinking: "When will it be my turn to receive God's blessings?"
Let me make one thing perfectly clear: All of us have been blessed — somehow, in some way. Blessings do not always come as we expect them to. Often they are hidden beneath the accumulated weight of wounds, disappointments, and false narratives that have built up in our persona over time. If we refuse to purge those files, we will continue wandering down an unrewarding road to nowhere.
This is precisely how the enemy tries to block our blessings. As we begin to feel sorry for ourselves, the skies cloud over and our blessings become harder to see.
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness."
— James 1:2–3
"The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man."
— CCC 1818
When the Negative Takes Over
Like any relationship, the less we focus on the positive, the more we adopt what is negative. The bad overshadows the good. And when bad overshadows good long enough — bad wins. It takes control of your life.
I know that is not what anyone wants. But the truth is, it is a very common pattern. Our society and its economy have been built upon it. Over the last several decades we have witnessed a proliferation of new drugs promising to fight an ever-expanding list of mental illnesses. Every time I turn on the radio, the television, or open a newspaper, there is some new reason — always conveniently abbreviated and branded — for people to feel the negative feelings they experience.
Are they serious? Do they really believe this is a path to healing? The answer is no. The majority of the hype exists to create a market for a product. And most of those products, if used as directed, will cause even more problems for the customer. Yes — I said customer — because that is exactly what we become.
What will motivate that system to actually cure people? As they cure more customers, their sales decline. That is bad business. They count on the fact that most people want to believe there is a medical reason why they feel the way they do. It brings a measure of relief to conclude that it is "out of their control" — that they are simply the victim of a condition.
It may feel like the easy way out. But it isn't.
"God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions. God willed that man should be 'left in the hand of his own counsel,' so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection."
— CCC 1730
Responsibility Is the Beginning of Freedom
By making themselves victims, people never have to take responsibility for their own inactions. And as I have always said:
It is not only the things we do in our lives that affect us — the things we do not do also set the tone for our journey.
By refusing to take honest inventory of what we have been blessed with, we lose ground. But as we look at ourselves — and at all that we have — with genuine gratitude, we become enlightened. Enlightenment comes from seeing what we have already been given. As we learn to organize and use God's gifts wisely, enormous windows of opportunity begin to open.
We are our souls. We are our spirits — created in the image and likeness of God. He has given us all we need in the form of blessings. When we continually reject or ignore them, we offend Him. And that is how we risk blocking what He still longs to give us.
"Every good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change."
— James 1:17
Seek and Recognize God's Plan for Blessing
Recently I came across an amazingly talented young woman. If I had to give an example of someone who had been richly blessed, I would use her. Not only is she a beautiful and gifted singer — she holds a leadership position at an extraordinary church, touching hundreds of lives every week.
And yet it seemed as if she was not fully seeing this incredible gift. It was not on purpose. It stemmed from a preconceived idea of what her life should look like. We all fall into this trap — allowing our personal agendas to become the measuring stick for success and failure. Placing God's agenda above our own is always difficult. The world is constantly telling us what we should have, by when, and by what standard.
But God's plan does not operate according to the rules of this world.
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.'"
— Jeremiah 29:11
We must pray for clarity and guidance as we walk the path He intends for us. He is in control. I feel many things — and I see more with my eyes closed than I do with them open. Everything that happens — and everything that does not happen — at a particular moment in our lives, serves a purpose that will be revealed to us in time.
In the life of that young woman, the waiting was the preparation of a man being formed to be her equal. He was being shaped to rise with her. God's timing is never accidental.
"There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens."
— Ecclesiastes 3:1
When we fail to see how we have been blessed, we can hardly rise. All the pills in the world will only make us comfortable at our present level — anchored, unable to ascend. But as we leave that behind and begin to recognize our blessings, we gain strength and Godly inspiration.
Three Incredible Things That Happen When We Wake Up
When we become truly inspired and grateful people of God, at least three incredible things begin to happen.
Incredible Thing #1: We Stop Chasing What Doesn't Matter
We stop looking for things that cannot fulfill us, and we begin to appreciate all of the God-given gifts already around us. Sometimes those gifts are found in the people who touch that special place in our hearts. Other times, they are in the deep satisfaction of knowing we have touched someone else's soul. Often it is the presence of a person of wisdom and spirituality in our lives — that singer, that pastor, that faithful friend who inspires us to move forward without regret.
When we truly know and appreciate the people in our lives, we will never risk losing these wonderful blessings.
Incredible Thing #2: We Use What We've Been Given
We must never forget to use the gifts God has placed in us. The abilities, talents, and resources we possess were given for a much greater purpose than we could ever imagine on our own. He knew we would use them for the greater good. There is nothing worse than leaving those gifts dormant. We must be one hundred percent thankful for every single one of them.
"As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace."
— 1 Peter 4:10
Incredible Thing #3: We Take Back Our Narrative
We must be willing to take honest responsibility for the direction our lives have taken. Feeling down, emotionally spent, and living through seasons of highs and lows is simply part of the journey. But if we allow outside forces to classify us as permanently ill, we inadvertently reinforce that diagnosis — and we play directly into the enemy's hands.
Do not let him play you like that. By locking yourself into the role of the victim, you feed an ever-growing negativity within yourself. If that is what you see — that is what you will be.
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
— Philippians 4:8
Recognize and Receive God's Blessings
The Beatitudes — Christ's own recipe for who is truly blessed — turn the world's definition of success completely upside down:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
— Matthew 5:3–10
"The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus' preaching. They take up the promises made to the chosen people since Abraham. The Beatitudes fulfill the promises by ordering them no longer merely to the possession of a territory, but to the Kingdom of heaven."
— CCC 1716
The Blueprint of Your Soul
In order for us to truly live, we must die — not physically, but to the illusion that this earthly life is all there is. Our time here is simply a stage in a much longer journey. And that journey follows a particular destiny. A destiny that is unending.
Our journey was mapped from the moment of conception. A blueprint was written into our souls. But like any blueprint, we have the freedom to make choices along the way. The wisdom lies in making those choices at the right times — and in measuring every decision by its cost to our soul.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you."
— Jeremiah 1:5
We may think we know the best course of action. But without spiritual guidance, we are only spinning our wheels — like trying to build a house without ever consulting the architect. We will constantly condemn what we have already built, waste precious time, and weaken the very structure we are trying to raise.
There is a specific plan in effect. The structure has many levels, each of which must be completed in sequential order. As we finish each level, we rise to the next. Every stage is a preparation for what is coming. When the last brick is set in mortar, we will have completed what was always meant to be.
"I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus."
— Philippians 1:6
Our Earthly Lives Are Only the Beginning
Our earthly lives are just a small part of our existence. The soul and the spirit are one. Our physical and spiritual selves inhabit the same plane — but the story does not end with death.
We can see this pattern even in human development: the womb, early childhood, grade school, high school, college, career, marriage, parenthood, enlightenment, ministry, retirement — and resurrection. Each stage prepares us for the next. Learning is a never-ending journey.
"Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him."
— 1 Corinthians 2:9
Our bodies are vessels for our souls in this mortal life. But death is not the end of the body — it is the beginning of its transformation. At the resurrection, body and soul will be reunited and glorified. The limitations of this earthly flesh will fall away, but the person — whole and complete — will endure forever.
"The Christian faith in the resurrection of the dead has been an essential element of the Christian faith from its beginnings... What rises is not the soul alone but the whole person."
— CCC 991, 999
This is the inheritance of the blessed. This is what it means to be truly, fully, eternally — blessed.
"I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing... and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
— Genesis 12:2–3