It's A Heavy Burden

The Beatitudes make a tremendous demand upon us. "Blessedness" is not an easy burden to carry. "Blessed are the merciful" Jesus said. "Blessed are the peacemakers" he continued. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake." he adds. (Matt. 5:7,9,10)

And the average Christian wails, "I thought a blessing was supposed to be a blessing, but instead it looks like something altogether different than that. We might even get hurt, while being 'blessed'. Blessedness is indeed a 'sticky wicket'!"

One of the great saints of the Church once said, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of Almighty God." It is much like having a tiger by the tail, you see. It can be a dangerous thing to commit yourself to the Lord's blessings.

In one of the Peanuts cartoons, Linus and Lucy are watching their baby sister crawl across the floor. Linus asks, "How long do you think it will be before Sally starts to walk? And Lucy in her cynical way answers: "Good grief. What's the hurry? Let her crawl around for awhile! Don't rush her! Once you stand up, and start to walk, you're committed for life!"

When we reach out in faith to God, He gives us the ability to walk. But then, there is no turning back. We're committed for life.