In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus included eight statements called beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10). Each one highlighted a virtue that results in the highest kind of happiness: sweet contentment not based on circumstances but on joyful faith in God and his provision for all we need.
In addition to the beatitudes of Matthew 5, the Bible offers dozens of blessing-statements—each one an encouraging slice of truth about God and his ways for us. They just aren’t constructed in typical beatitude style.
For example, consider Psalm 37:4:
Written as a beatitude:
Blessed are those who delight in God
for they shall receive the desires of their hearts.
Of course, the desires of our hearts often reflect child-sized plans, while God may have designed a “hugely dimensional destiny” that will surprise everyone.[1]
Kara’s* story illustrates. She fully expected to attend university and then enter the world of business. But even with a straight-A average, no scholarship materialized, and her parents earned too much money to qualify for sufficient financial aid.
Unless she took out a large student loan, Kara’s only option was community college. Highly disappointed—embarrassed even—she applied. Meanwhile a letter happened to arrive from that local college, describing a new course of study in TV production.
Kara had just completed a high school course in multimedia programming and loved it, so she applied for this new program and was accepted. Better yet, God provided full tuition as she earned that degree. And best of all, he molded Kara’s desire to coincide with the delightful and satisfying plan he’d designed for her.
Now years later, Kara and her husband make their living in the entertainment industry. No doubt the two of them marvel how God brought them together to work in a medium they love.
Kara is a miracle.
Romans 5:3-4 offers another beatitude truth:
As a beatitude it might read like this:
Blessed are those who embrace their challenges,
for they shall be changed for the better.
Anne wanted to support her husband’s dream of a free counseling service in their community and began making pretzels to sell at the local farmer’s market.
Through long effort and a number of failures, Anne was able to grow the business into hundreds of franchises across the country. You’ve probably eaten one of Auntie Anne’s Soft Pretzels at a mall or airport.
Anne’s personal life also included struggles, failures, and even the death of one of her children. Yet she says, “I am now thrilled to live this life, feeling that each day is one to be enjoyed. God’s grace and forgiveness are what got me through it all.”[2]
Anne is a miracle.
Our third new beatitude is based on Mark 10:27b:
Beatitude style?
Blessed are those who care less about their limitations
and care more how limitless God is.
The bio on the backs of Jennifer Rothschild’s books informs the reader she is a wife, mother, and recording artist. Jennifer also travels the country as a speaker, and cofounded WomensMinistry.NET.
What the bio does not reveal is that Jennifer has been blind since age fifteen. In her book, Lessons I Learned in the Dark, she wrote: “God often wraps difficult gifts with His grace—and then uses them to display His glory.”[3] Jennifer’s productive and joyful life perfectly illustrates that statement.
Jennifer is a miracle.
All three women exemplify what Rev. Phillips Brooks (1835-1893) wrote long ago:
Kara, Ann, Jennifer, and countless other believers demonstrate: When we embrace God’s be-attitudes, we not only experience the highest kind of happiness; we become miracles.
*Name changed.
Notes:
[1] Eugene Peterson, Under the Unpredictable Plant, pp. 160-161.
[2] Karol Ladd, Thrive, Don’t Simply Survive, pp. 147-148.
[3] Jennifer Rothschild, Lessons I Learned in the Dark, p. 84.
Art & photo credits: http://www.freebibleimages.org; http://www.heartlight.org; http://www.flickr.com; http://www.stocksnap.io; http://www.flickr.com; http://www.canva.com (2).
From the Inside Out 
Amid limitations, blessed be our “limitless” God! Nancy, thanks for sharing a true Outlook Shift.
Thank you, Laurie. ‘Tis my delight to give you an Outlook Shift–as you have done for me so often!
Gods way are not only higher than ours, but often totally different than ours. great illustrations Nancy
True indeed, Gary. I’ve lived long enough to see God’s ways outshine human planning time and again! So glad you enjoyed the illustrations!
Oh, to become God’s miracles in this life! Thank you, Nancy, for sharing these inspirational stories here. I truly needed these at the crossroads of my life right now.
Blessings!
Martha, you ARE a miracle–I see it in the blog posts you write! How many people would see hope in your backyard daffodils, blooming for the first time in years? Not many, I’m sure. It blesses me to know the inspirational stories here ministered to you at just the right time, Martha! Hallelujah and happy weekend, my friend!
Nancy,
As always very good. Wonderful illustrations of God’s miracles. Thank you, Janet
You are so welcome, Janet. Praise God for His inspiration!
There’s a verse (Psalm 37:4) that says if we delight in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our hearts. That gets misunderstood a lot! It doesn’t say He will give us WHAT we desire, but the DESIRES. – He will instill in us the desires for what He wants for us.
Besides, if we delight in Him, He IS our desire. 😉
AMEN, Annie! I’ve experienced his transforming work in my own life, molding my desires to conform to his plan. And in the end, that’s what we want, isn’t it –his all-wise, perfectly designed plan. Anything less is far less satisfying! (Please note: it took me a long while to reach that point of understanding!)
What great and encouraging testimonies, Nancy! This post lifted my sights and my spirits. It’s always helpful to see all the great ways God leads and provides!!
Thank you, Sheila. I’m smiling here to know this post lifted your sights and spirits!
Blessed are those who embrace their challenges,
for they shall be changed for the better – what a powerful statement and one I am copying for my journal. Thank you!!
So glad you found power within that be-attitude, Jean–praise God for his inspiration! I jotted down these new beatitudes some time ago–don’t remember when–and completely forgot I had them. ‘Came across the list this week, and decided they could become a blog post. Perhaps God intended them for such a time as this, for someone who happens to stop by! (That’s always my prayer as I hit “Publish”–that the topic be pertinent to someone in need of encouragement. I’m guessing you do too!)
Thank you for sharing these stories of these women’s lives. God indeed works miracles!❤️
You’re welcome, Alicia. I found these miracle-women inspiring, and hoped others would too!
So creative to turn verses into beatitudes! Especially meaningful to me is “Blessed are those who care less about their limitations and care more how limitless God is.” And I carry that truth beyond myself into how He is working in our world today and is in control even though we cannot see or even imagine how. I sometimes get anxious as I see how evil seems to be prevailing these days, but he is working all things together for those who belong to Him. I am constantly drawn and find great comfort in Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” His love and power is limitless both on a personal level and a world level.
Amen, Cheri. Totally agree about the world scene offering plenty to be anxious about these days. Praise God we have HIM–and the assurance of such promises as Romans 8:28! We can count on his power and strength, courage and wisdom to carry us through whatever valley may be ahead. The heights of heaven await!
Hi Nancy,
Great stories. That’s how the Gospel is lived out. We tell people about Christ, but also live in the grace. It’s putting our “treasure” where our mouth is.
In Christ,
Gary
I love that: “putting our treasure where our mouth is.” So important to remember! Thank you, Gary.