Happy Thanksgiving weekend! As we gather around tables with family and friends we give thanks for the many blessings in our lives. But then Uncle Buck starts in about those people, why don’t they get a job? Aunt Jane retorts with comments about the rich who pay no income tax and the conflict is on. Blessing? We forget all about our warm feelings and just try to keep the peace.

What does blessing really mean? We need look no farther than the Beatitudes, what some have called sermon on the level, the level of real life. I found Eugene Peterson’s version of Luke 6 so instructive. You’re blessed when you’ve lost it all. God’s kingdom is there for the finding. You’re blessed when you are ravenously hungry. Then you’re ready for the messianic life-saving meal. You’re blessed when the tears flow freely. Joy comes in the morning.

Do you love Hallmark and Disney movies? They follow the script of the Beatitudes. They describe a new reality where the least likely candidates are revealed to be extremely fortunate in the divine economy of things, right now, not later. Why? Poverty and hunger in spirit and materially, crying in despair opens us up to powers beyond what we can control or understand with our logical minds. This is the paradox of faith. When we release the fictions we tell about ourselves, when we realize we are a mixture of good and bad just like everyone everywhere, we are freed from being a cynic or trying to protect our self. And then friends, hope and the improbable become possible.

So back to our dinner tables this holiday season. How do we have a different kind of experience with Uncle Buck and Aunt Jane? Beatitudes have an answer for that too: don’t pick on people, jump to conclusions, criticize, unless you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back. Generosity begets generosity.

This is practicing the simple rule of thumb we know as the golden rule: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them. Jesus is saying stop the passivity. Get up, go ahead, do something, move, you who are hungry and thirsty for just treatment for such an appetite will be satisfied.

Jesus’ words are meant to go beyond our dinner tables. He reorders the values of culture from the bottom up. He is saying, get your hands dirty. Build a human society for human beings; otherwise, others will torture and murder the poor, the voiceless, the powerless, the stranger and maybe you. That is a world I do not want to live in.

Where to start? Be changed, starting with your be-attitudes. Be intentional: choose how you want to show up in the world. Be aware of others hearts. Your worldview isn’t the only one. Be understanding; don’t just react. Speak from the sound of the genuine within you, calmly, kindly. Don’t hit back. Discover the beauty in everyone. Your generosity will surprise them and maybe turn them toward big-heartedness with you.

Want to improve your quality of life and the world? Focus on your foundation. Like building a house, if your desire is a strong foundation you can’t just mouth the right words; they must be followed by equally positive life-giving deeds toward friends and those who oppose you alike. Otherwise when the storms of life crash in it all collapses like a house of cards. May it not be so.

This is a contributed opinion column. The Rev. Dr. Christine L. Nelson is a retired United Church of Christ clergy person and director/minister of several Lehigh Valley faith-based nonprofits and local church ministries. Chris can be reached at chris1970.cn@gmail.com. The views expressed in this piece are those of its individual author and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of this publication. 

https://www.mcall.com/2025/11/29/faith-values-what-is-the-real-meaning-of-a-blessing/