Happiness Comes When You Embrace And Work Through Your Problems

Matthew 5:1-3 - Jesus saw many people. He went up on the mountain and sat down. His followers came to Him. He began to teach them, saying, “Those who know there is nothing good in themselves are happy, because the holy nation of heaven is theirs.

 

Jesus didn’t need a fancy church…or a building at all for that matter.  He just sat down on the nearest hillside and taught his disciples. It was a pretty big hillside…because crowds of people had followed him and pushed close enough to listen in while he taught the men he had chosen to help him in his ministry. Commentators think that this was at least a long weekend’s worth of material.

 

He taught about humbleness….sadness… meekness…. Justice and goodness… kindness … purity…. peacefulness….and persecution.  He told them to work through these issues and embrace what they would do for their countenance when they came through these things with God’s help. He told them to stop focusing on the earthly thing that bothered them and begin to search their hearts for what God needed them to learn by allowing it in their lives.

 

Jesus told them to be the salt of the earth…to season it with His love and mercy….to forgive and learn to be greater than the petty things that try to tear down our faith. He told them that the world was dark and needed the light that could only reflect off of their lives if they adopted the character traits of His father.  Jesus deepened their understanding of the rules that were given to Moses...teaching them that happiness was a state of mind…not a collection of things…or earthly blessings.

 

I am reminded once again that the life I was granted to live is not my own.  It’s not about me…it’s about every other person that I come into contact with. I will only find happiness if I work through the things I see as problems so that others can be seasoned with God’s salt.  I will only be someone in God’s eyes if I embrace the times he wants me to reflect his light to others.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I belong to you.  You put me here to be a vessel of your salt and light to others so that more people may join you in Heaven when you return to get us all. Forgive me for the times that I have made it about me….and whined about my problems instead of embracing them to learn from them. Help me to really let this concept soak into my spirit …so that I can spend more time working through things and learning how to help others do the same.  Amen.