Illustration by Brian C. Jocks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nI have always struggled with the Beatitudes. \u201cBlessed are _______ for they will ______.\u201d Fill in the blank. I can\u2019t help but sigh, \u201creally?\u201d and \u201cwhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBlessed are they who mourn,<\/p>\n
for they will be comforted\u201d<\/p>\n
When?<\/p>\n
\u201cRejoice and be glad;<\/p>\n
your reward will be great in heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n
That has never comforted me. What about now? What about this life? Does it not matter? Will we feel any relief during our days in waiting for the coming?<\/p>\n
\u201cYour reward will be great in heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frankly, I don\u2019t care. I don\u2019t want or need a big heavenly reward. I want and need earthly relief.<\/p>\n
Yet, according to Psalm 146, the Lord does intervene:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Lord . . .<\/p>\n
secures justice for the oppressed,<\/p>\n
gives food to the hungry.<\/p>\n
The Lord sets captives free.<\/p>\n
The Lord gives sight to the blind;<\/p>\n
the Lord raises up those who are bowed down.<\/p>\n
The Lord loves the just;<\/p>\n
the Lord protects strangers . . .\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, my inclination is to look around the world and see suffering and say, \u201cdoes he? does he?\u201d But I think we can perhaps balance the Beatitudes and Psalm 146 with the advice of Alexandre Dumas as Edmond Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo: <\/em><\/p>\n\u201cLive, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget that until the day when God shall deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is summed up in these two words,\u2014\u2018Wait and hope.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Wait and hope. The reality of the Lord\u2019s intercession allows us to wait, and the mural created by the Beatitudes gives us reason to hope.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Annie Williams<\/strong>\u00a0lives in Mount Hermon, California, is a graduate of Calvin College\u2019s English program, and a barista at Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company. She hopes to become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. In the meantime, she enjoys the company of a talented psychiatrist, the lovely people at the pharmacy, her brilliant therapist, and an irreplaceable support group of friends and family, all of whom play inextricably important roles in her life with bipolar II. Annie writes\u00a0honestly about her struggles with mental health and faith at\u00a0honestmemoir.blogspot.com<\/a>
\nRead more at http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sickpilgrim\/2017\/09\/dark-devotional-remain-flesh\/#qJ4dvFvv4VCHKjwI.99<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0 I have always struggled with the Beatitudes. \u201cBlessed are _______ for they will ______.\u201d Fill in the blank. I can\u2019t help but sigh, \u201creally?\u201d and \u201cwhen?\u201d \u201cBlessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted\u201d When? \u201cRejoice and be glad; your reward will be great in heaven.\u201d That has never comforted me. What […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[2402,1658,1937,1777,875,2403],"class_list":["post-5108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dark-devotional","tag-alexandre-dumas","tag-annie-rose-williams","tag-annie-williams","tag-beatitudes","tag-dark-devotional","tag-edmond-dantes"],"yoast_head":"\n
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