Gazing on the beautiful bouquet of flowers given to me on my birthday reminded me of reading the Beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Many of us are familiar with them, found in Mat. 5:2-12 (up to verse 10 printed below):

“And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Whenever we encounter something familiar, it’s easy to run through it quickly, mentally “waving” at each one with a “great!”, “yeah!”, “Amen!”, in our hearts as we pass by at a clip.

But like “stopping to smell the roses”, last time I read these verses I decided to pause and meditate on each one a bit further and let the fragrant beauty of each affect my soul.

Here’s what the Lord impressed on my heart, which I pass on to encourage you:

  1. The poor in spirit gain possession of the kingdom of heaven— Because they humbly recognize their need for God, and heaven is HIS kingdom. Going to and joining Him means entering and gaining a “share” in His kingdom.
  2. Those who mourn are comforted because others (including the Lord) know they need it. None of us like to give something to someone who doesn’t need it.
  3. The meek inherit the earth—they don’t have to fight for it! It’s given to them. Like a loving parent who rewards his/her child for waiting patiently and not grabbing or pushing someone out of their way for a toy, the parent praises the child and gives them the toy.  The Lord does the same with the whole earth for the meek.
  4. The Lord is always willing to supply righteousness when we hunger and thirst for it—because it’s already what He wants for us. Like a good mom, He’s so glad to ring the dinner bell, shout “Come and get it!”, and have us come running to devour a healthy meal ☺
  5. The merciful receive mercy—due to the boomerang effect in interpersonal relationships. Our attitude toward someone leads to how we treat them, which then comes back on us, because people are reciprocal—we give to others what we get from them. Or, in some cases, at least what we hear about them.
  6. The pure in heart see God—because they have nothing fogging or muddying up their soul’s “windshield”!
  7. Peacemakers are recognized as children of God—due to reflecting that major aspect of His character, others can see the “family resemblance”.
  8. Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake also receive the kingdom of heaven. Yeah, we’d all prefer the easier way of getting that— the “poor in spirit” method described in #1. But be encouraged by this truth:  When we don’t fit into this world’s ways and get rejected (or worse) for that, it means we belong to God’s Kingdom and get to partake of all that’s within.

Next time you read the Beatitudes, I hope you will linger by each one, truly gaze on their beauty, and pick up their fragrance.