Happiness is in humility!
In the “Beatitudes,” in Matthew chapter 5, verse 3, Jesus gives an extraordinary speech. He begins by saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” But what exactly is Jesus talking to us about? How can we be happy and poor? Poor in spirit, what does that mean? Is Jesus praising ignorance, incompetence, mediocrity? Absolutely not !
God created us with a capacity to reason, to analyze, to understand, with an emotional intelligence too, relational, with extraordinary skills, capacities with which he himself endowed us, therefore he does not praise mediocrity. The word used for “poverty” actually means “beggar.” Happy if you consider yourself a beggar in spirit.
What is a beggar? A beggar is someone who does not have enough to meet their needs. He has to turn to someone for help because he knows he doesn't have the resources within himself. And in the domain of the life of the spirit, this is how we can be fulfilled, be happy: if we are already aware that we do not have within ourselves the means to provide for our needs.
We are able to meet our physical needs, perhaps emotional ones, but when it comes to the spirit, how do we fill that void that sin has left in our hearts? We simply need to be aware that we truly need God. When we are complacent about that, then we are deceiving ourselves.
This was the case with Samson who did not know that the Lord had withdrawn from him. This was the case for religious men, Pharisees or even the rich young man who was self-sufficient with his own possessions and who did not have peace of mind. He comes while he observes the law of God, he is not reassured about his spiritual future. He needed to be humble.
Let us be humble and recognize as Charles Spurgeon said: "The first link that connects me to Jesus Christ is not my goodness, but my wickedness. It is not my merits, but my misery. It is not my riches , but my needs." That’s what it means to be poor in spirit. Recognize your need, be humble and approach to seek God's grace and receive this extraordinary grace.
My friend, let us be humble, let us recognize our need, let us be like spiritual beggars before the One who wants to fill us with his grace.
Be blessed today, receive God's grace fully.
Tony Tornatore
