On the 8th day of Christmas...

I sat at my computer tonight to write the 8th day of Christmas...and stared at a blank screen. Rarely do I have nothing to say; rarely am I at a loss for words. Tonight was different. I sat in my office looking around, reminiscing about the day, deciding on a story to tell or a story to share. Nothing. Just blank. Then I recalled that I have been incorporating the 12 Days of Christmas meaning in some of my writings, so I glanced at the 8th day. The Eighth Day of Christmas

Eight Maids A-Milking - The maids represent the eight Beatitudes, which can be found in the passage of the Bible that talks about the Sermon on the Mount. Condensed, they are: Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek, blessed are they who mourn, blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the clean of heart, blessed are the peacemakers, and blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice's sake. I was raised in church. Was there on Sunday, Sunday night, Wednesday night. Sat in youth group, was a heavy participant, went to camps and concerts and adventures with a great youth group and leaders. I found Jesus in church and was baptized by water. Many, many years later, as in tonight, I read the beatitudes again. The beatitudes are found in Matthew 5:3-12 and paralleled in Luke 6:20–23:

The beatitudes are found in Matthew 5:3-12 and paralleled in Luke 6:20–23:

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 kinds 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 prophets who were before you. (NIV)

I always thought the Beatitudes meant those were the attitudes you were supposed to have. Tonight, I learned that the word beatitude actually means "blessedness", and implies a current state of happiness or wellbeing. Let that sink in for a minute. Poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness - that is a current state of wellbeing. That says to me that even on our hardest days - we can still find joy and rest in the wellbeing of God's strength. On the 8th day of Christmas, we are giving away a $15 gift card to Curvy Market. To be eligible to win, comment ON THIS PAGE at least one reason why you are blessed! Winner will be drawn tomorrow. Good luck!