What Does a Blessed Life Truly Look Like?
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Perhaps you’ve asked an acquaintance how they’re doing and gotten the reply, “I’m blessed.”
In some ways, it’s tempting to think the term “blessed” is synonymous with any of the other social niceties we hear: I’m doing well, all is great, just fine.
But “I’m blessed” is actually a far better, richer, and deeper response than any of these others, filled with complex and nuanced meaning about someone’s genuine state of being and right relationship with the Lord.
Blessedness is a state of being that stands beyond every-day, surface-level circumstances. Indeed, a person who is living a blessed life is filled with a sense of joy, hope, peace, and contentment even in extremely difficult situations.
The word “blessed” used in the New Testament comes from the Greek word makarios, which means bestowed with God’s favor, happy, or fortunate — not fortunate because of fortune or luck, but because of God’s providence and favor. Mary, the mother of Jesus, considered herself to be blessed by the honor of carrying the Christ child (Luke 1:48). In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called “blessed” those who are poor in spirit, who mourn, who are meek and merciful, who are peacemakers, and so on. While on earth these things might not always seem like blessings, God has a different standard.
Let’s a take a look at what a blessed life truly looks like.
A State of Hope
A blessed life is a life spent in righteous relationship with God. One who is blessed understands life is far more that the days we spend on this earth. They know we’re what the apostle Paul termed “citizens of heaven,” with one foot in this world and one in the next (Philippians 3:20). We long for God’s goodness and do our best to stay in alignment with God and on his path. While we might stray, we correct our course as best as possible and return to him. We value what God values: love, peace, justice, and mercy.
Because of this, and because we devote ourselves to God’s way, we are assured of our salvation. We know that whatever might befall us in this life — sickness, suffering, persecution, poverty, etc. — our eternal reward awaits us in heaven.
As the psalmist writes in Psalm 1:1-3, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers.”
Blessedness doesn’t mean everything is perfect in their life. It simply means they know how their story will end, and who they belong to — the Lord. Because of this, they can live their days filled with hope no matter what adversity comes their way.
A True Relationship
A blessed life is also one that transcends feeling. Blessedness, like hope and joy, doesn’t necessarily mean happiness, though one who is blessed might feel happy. In fact, often people who are blessed are experiencing deep affliction and difficulty. Still, they take this in stride, understanding that their joy and hope and faith are rooted in the Lord, not today’s circumstances. They hold fast to what Jesus taught in John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
They know genuine contentment doesn’t come from things of the flesh, from material items or worldly success, but from a strong personal relationship with the Lord.
An Internal State of Well-Being
Sometimes, blessedness feels a little like “opposite day,” a game I played when I was a kid. On opposite day, I’d say, “Bad evening,” when I meant “good morning,” or “No” when I meant “yes.”
Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount by flipping upside down what many people of his day thought about a life favored by God. Back then, people thought if you had a lot of money or kids, perhaps a lot of land or cattle to pass on as a legacy, then you were somehow favored by God. Perhaps many of us think the same thing today, that worldly prosperity is somehow tied up with God’s favor and high regard for us.
But Jesus taught us that blessedness is actually an internal, not an external, state of well-being, and sometimes those who are most “blessed” are those who seem to have very little.
As he said, “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 children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3-10).
Later, in Matthew 19:23-25, Jesus said it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God — worldly prosperity isn’t always the blessing we think it is. In fact, it’s often a hindrance.
True blessedness is living life in line with Jesus, following him and making him Lord of our whole lives.
A Filling of the Spirit
Perfect unity with Jesus is the goal of a truly blessed life. While Christians are those who follow Jesus and strive to live as he commanded, the true mark of a Christian life is someone who is filled with the Holy Spirit. Everyone who believes has a part of the Triune God, the Holy Spirit, alive inside their hearts.
As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:16, we are God’s temple, and God’s Spirit dwells within us.
He elaborated on this in Ephesians 1:13-14, noting, “When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession — to the praise of his glory.”
We who believe are blessed because we have a portion of the Lord within us, steering and guiding us through all of life’s rocky situations. The Holy Spirit is our friend and our advocate, a gift from God, Jesus said (John 14:26). Whatever we do, and wherever this earthly life takes us, we can trust that we are blessed because this immense and extravagant gift is with us always.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve appeared to live in a state of perfected blessedness, one with the Lord and able to talk and walk with him freely. Their sin drove a wall between them and God, and God exiled them from his garden. While he loved his creation, they no longer lived in a state of perfect favor and blessedness because they broke sacred trust with him.
Today because of Jesus, we have the opportunity to have that blessed state restored. We, who were sinners, are now forgiven because of Christ. And because we believe in Christ as our savior, we’re made right with the Lord once more.
That is the epitome of blessedness.
So the next time someone asks you how you are, take a look at your heart. Are you a believer, filled with the Holy Spirit and doing your best to walk in the way of the Lord? If so, then you can rest assured that you are indeed blessed.
Photo credit: Pexels/Hassan OUAJBIR
