Blessed, By Definition

I am truly blessed.

I know that might sound cliche, or old, or tired, but on the contrary it's actually vibrant and fresh all the time, and the feeling of being blessed never gets old. When I say that I'm blessed, I don't mean blessed with superficial things of this world. I am blessed with a feeling of hope, that no matter how bad things get, I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will always bounce back. This is not because of my own strength, but because of Him who is within me. My entire world could shatter tomorrow, but I know there is a greater picture and a grander plan and that no matter what happens to me, my God never leaves me. That is more valuable than anything I can put a price tag on.

I am also blessed with purpose. Painfully, I must admit that I was a Jersey Shore fan at one point. I think I watched the entire first two seasons. (Don't hold that against me though.) I noticed something, though. These young adults go out and drink, act promiscuously, and party every night. Seems glamorous on the outside. If you look closer you can see much anger and emptiness. I want so much for them to experience what I experience, that is a sense of purpose and fulfillment in Christ alone. That is the second example of something more valuable to me than anything I can think of. Being aligned with God's will, making an eternal impact on someone's life, feels so much better than those temporary means of fulfillment that ultimately lead to destruction. (Think about it, they do.) There is not even a comparison.

The third thing that I am blessed with are my friends. It is so rare to have so many people in your life (not including family, of which mine is also amazing) who truly love you, care for you, pray for you, are willing to look past your sin and love you anyway, and would be there for you in a second. It's rare to find even one person that genuine. I have a whole church full of them, and I wouldn't trade them for the world.

I am not trying to say things are easy or all my problems are magically gone. They are not. I can't even begin to describe to you how lonely and stale I can feel at times. That is probably the most difficult thing for me to get past, almost every evening. And yes, I cry. A lot. But just when I think I get to the point where I can't handle anymore, God comes right in and intervenes in some miraculous way, giving me that refreshing feeling that is God's presence. I guess the gist of it is that a lot of my circumstances from before I was 19 have not even changed, but there is one difference - now I am full of life, joy, peace, hope, and purpose. And I don't wear so much black makeup around my eyes anymore. :)

I can't even ask for anything more than that. So I just want to take a moment to thank my God for BLESSING me, and I pray that each person who reads this allows themselves to feel the joy that I am talking about. It starts with Jesus.

Be blessed.