Lucky are the Unlucky

On Wednesday night, I faced one of my biggest fears. About a month ago, we started a bible study within the shoe shiner community. It has been an incredible success. The guys are excited to come and learn and always ask great questions. So, a couple weeks ago, my friend and mentor, Janetta, challenged me to face my fear of leading and of speaking in front of a group. A couple days later, I accepted Randy's offer to lead a shoe shiner bible study. Man... what was I thinking? Not only do I hate speaking in front of people, but I would be speaking about the bible, and in SPANISH! Insane. Welp, my assignment was to lead a study on the beatitudes, the beginning of Jesus' famous sermon on the mount.

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

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persucuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:1-12)

So, upon first reading this passage, it seemed pretty ridiculous.... blessed are the poor, the meek, the persecuted??? But after meditating and studying and reading, I discovered that it really is a beautiful concept and I was so excited to share what I had learned with the guys. I shared a couple stories from the gospels about some people that really impressed Jesus (The widow's offering - Luke 21:1-4, The healing of a leper - Mark 1:40-45, and The sinful woman - Luke 7:36-50). Even though these people may seem like they are in very difficult situations, feeling pathetic, desperate, or lost, these people are actually quite fortunate. When we find ourselves in very desperate times, the kingdom of heaven draws near. In our desperation, we are in a perfect position to accept the free gift that Jesus offers us - the gift of salvation, eternal life! Although we may not have much to hope for in this life, when we accept Jesus into our lives, a whole new world of hope is revealed. We can now place our hope in Jesus and the life to come. So, we should stop placing our hope in worldy, temporary pleasures, and instead live a life focused on the eternal rewards that are promised to us through Jesus.

Anyways, the study went pretty well. I was super crazy nervious, but I had to just hand over my fears and trust that God would use me for his glory. I really wanted to share this message with the guys because it seems so real and applicable to pretty much everyone. There were about 15-20 guys and they seemed to react pretty well. I was so thankful to have Randy sitting right next to me, jumping in whenever he could to answer questions and enhance conversation. What a blessing it was to share with the guys! All I can do now is hope that their hearts were open and ready to receive the message. The seed has been planted.