To: The New Beatitudes

Anyone who's read Matthew 5:1-11 knows what the Beatitudes are (all the "Blessed are the...") in the Bible. I love them. In fact, I wasn't going to copy them here, but for your sake & my own, I might as well just do it, eh? =]

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down.

His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:

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

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kind of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prohphets who were before you.

I don't know about You, but I get some kind of comfort in reading these. I feel like I'm defended because I know where my heart lies. I'll admit that currently I struggle with the merciful part...which in all honesty is a big part of faith...so what the heck am I doing? haha. I, who need mercy since I woke up this morning, even now as I should be doing my history midterm (:/), why do I have such a hard time giving it?? I'm certain that as time passes and my failure at understanding lessens, I'll have a hardy grasp on what being merciful and showing mercy means. Maybe then I could let you know!

In any case, while I'm a big fan of the B-I-B-L-E that's the book for me, I thought it might be fun to add in my own Beatitudes. These are known as the new Beatitudes [of my life, you may entirely disagree haha]!

1. Blessed are the selfish of heart, for God will whack them upside the head.

2. Blessed are the Morning Glories, (not the flowers) for God continues to show me His grace and beauty in small, simple ways each morning. Without these, I'd be a grump!

3. Blessed are the liars, for God uses us as examples to show His abounding forgiveness.

4. Blessed are the truly sorry of the soul, for God can make them whole again.

5. Blessed are the proud of spirit, for God reminds us that we are foolish and weak (1 Cor. 1) but He chose us, and that is a wake-up call.

6. Blessed are the forgivers, for you have more grace & love for your neighbors than I have yet to achieve.

& now, last one, because I really couldn't resist:

7. Blessed are the clearance & sale racks, for God has shown me that my petty pocket is eternally grateful! ;]

Haha, alright y'all! That was fun!! But I really can't procrastinate much longer...I have a midterm to complete and thankfully I have more time than I thought to complete it! See...God's mercy at work again!

From: Me