The "Be" Attitudes

It seems this week has caused a lot of turmoil for a lot of people. There are problems going on in our little community and I honestly don't know most of it, I just know people I love have been hurt and are hurting. One of my friends has taken it to task to point out the positives in things this week. She has used the hashtag #bethegood for most of the week. When she started it, I had no clue there was something in particular going on, but the fact is, this little hashtag made me look at something in my own life a little differently.

 As most of you know, Andrew has a home repair/ improvement business. Tuesday evening, he texted me and told me he couldn't stand to be on his knees any longer and he was coming home. He had two more hours left to work and my first thought was, NO, you have GOT to keep working, this normally comes along with some anger on my part. Let me say, this is all easy for me when I'm not the one down on my knees. But, BECAUSE of the little hashtag, I though to myself, "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem", so, I said, "I'll be right there". I know he was shocked,  and I am afraid I may not have done a good enough job because he has to go fix little area of grout this morning and I can about bet, it is the little area, I did, but the fact is, I learned 2 things. Number 1, if I can HELP, I should, Number 2, if all I want to do is get mad and cause him more stress, I should keep my mouth shut.

I think just the fact that I was willing to help, helped him keep going. He was tiling as I was grouting, which in fact meant he got back down on his knees. Hopefully, what he has to go fix this morning is minor.

So, I want to throw out the real Beatitudes this morning. The ten commandments tell us the difference between right and wrong. The Beatitudes tell us how to act.

I am going to use the Message version this morning, I am sure most of you have seen the KJV in your lifetime, but I always think this takes it to a different level.

³ “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

⁴ “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

⁵ “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

⁶ “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

⁷ “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
⁸ “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

⁹ “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

¹⁰ “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

^11-12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.



I am afraid there are too many people out there doing things for the wrong reasons, and too many people out there doing things for the right reasons that are having to live with being put down.


I have also thought a lot about the Paradoxical Commandments this week, and thought I would leave them here as a word of encouragement as well.

 

Just a side note on this, there have been a lot of tales of where this came from. As you see at the top, Kent Keith actually wrote them. Yes, they were found on the walls of Mother Teresa's children's home in Calcutta, but Kent Keith wrote them.........at the age of 19.

 

 

So, going forward, if you have the urge to get angry and upset over the way things are being done, ask yourself if your behavior is actually helping change what you don't like, if the answer is no, maybe you should take a different approach.

 Personal experience here, there have been several times in my life I have met with people that I truly don't like their actions, and don't understand why they are doing what they are doing. I have learned to pray about this before I act on anything. I will pray daily that God will either change them, or if necessary, change me. I feel I have seen Him work both ways. The later has happened, more times that once, especially when I took the time to learn what makes that person tick and what the reason is behind their actions.  I have learned that badmouthing the person just makes me look bad.


And today, I leave you with Matthew West's Grace Wins. I find it funny that I haven't used this song in my blog yet, as it is (don't laugh) one of my favorites. It may not cover the exact situation, but the fact is, Grace DOES win every time, sometimes you must go through the storm to see it.