#Blessed
Will young men and women from middle and lower class backgrounds be pushed down with medical and educational debt? Will they see the military as the only option for education, health, and opportunity?
We can spot the hashtag scrolling along social media feeds and popping up in in Bruno Mars lyrics: #Blessed. Often the declaration comes as a caption for a photograph that seizes the overwhelming gratitude of new parents, their eyes brimming with joy as they look down at the baby in their arms. Other times, we see the word accompanying a particularly difficult athletic move. Still other times, it’s a declaration of wealth or success. It is an uprising of thanks, for what we have, who we are, and what we have achieved. #Blessed can be interpreted to mean that God has rained down wealth and success upon us.
And that’s a good thing, right? I mean, thanking God for what we have and marveling at our abundance is incredibly important.
But it also might be time for Christians to rethink the idea of being #Blessed. I reconsider it every time I see those pictures of Melania Trump, in the seat of power, with all her beauty and elegance, looking like the most miserable woman in the world. Of course, I typically read the New York Times, and they are telling a story with those pictures, framing her in a particular light. But still. I can’t help but think that with all the money and glamour, our First Lady doesn’t look blessed.
