Hi. I’m Ken Jones, and this is A Classic State of Mind, with a word about … A Blessed Life
I lead a blessed life, really. Like everybody else, I suppose, there are some challenges in what I have to face every day. But as I contemplate my life and where I am, I am amazingly blessed.
As I reflect on the nature of life, and God’s dealings with man, it seems to me that a ‘blessed life’ has to be defined with deeper things than a nice family, or a secure job, or some outward and obvious manifestation. I mean, what of people who don’t have a family? What of folks who don’t have children or grandchildren? Do they lead ‘blessed lives?’ Can someone who doesn’t have a steady or secure job possibly be ‘blessed?’ And if so, how? In what way?
Is everyone blessed? Or just some ‘lucky’ ones? What constitutes a ‘blessed’ life? And, if you don’t have one, how do you go about getting one? God has included some wonderful thoughts in his word that refer to the blessings he has provided. As I reflect on my own life, here are some things I’ve noticed, as I ponder how blessed I am:
- I feel like I understand my purpose for being on this earth. And having a God-determined purpose and direction for life is a blessing. Several years ago, now, I decided to discover and determine my own reason for being. From that journey, I wrote out my ‘Life Purpose” statement that I’ve used as a sort of touch-point, or soul compass to help me determine direction, especially during those inevitable times when it’s seemed as if I’ve lost my bearings. The very first sentence of my Life Purpose Statement is this: “I have determined to live my life to the glory and honor of Jesus Christ, with integrity, transparency and ‘genuineness’.” What that means for me, (among other things,) is that my own notoriety or accomplishment is not what I want to live for. If I can continually remember that I want to live my life to the glory and honor of Jesus? I can’t help but live a blessed life.
- There are several other things I’ve included in my life purpose statement that are specific to me, because I believe in some ways, we’re all alike, but in other important and specific ways, we’re all different. My gifts are different than yours. My passion and calling and ‘blueprint’ of life is different than yours. Understanding that reality helps me be me, and not try to be some version of … you. That helps me lead a blessed life. I don’t have to be you. I just have to strive (with God’s help) to be the best me I know how to be.
There’s one other thing I included in my purpose statement that I think helps me lead a blessed life. It’s in fact, the last sentence of my purpose statement.
I will give myself one piece of daily advice: “Don’t take yourself too seriously.”
I try to remind myself of that, every single day. When I don’t take me too seriously, it leaves room in my life to take others very seriously. And, doing so helps me align my life with the instructions in God’s word for how to live a blessed life. Paul wrote, in Romans 12:
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” (Rom.12:3)
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