what are blessings and do we deserve them?

[dahlia]

I have been struggling with the concept of blessings for some time. Now that I have my endowments, and have been promised even more blessings, I'm even more confused.

What is a blessing? If something nice happens to you, is that a blessing? I got the interest rate on my car loan reduced when I wasn't sure it would happen - is that a blessing? My son had his tonsils out (worse for adults) and is doing better now - is that a blessing? Or are these just things that happen to us?

I know I've been skeptical and a smart mouth on some topics (Lord's Prayer, anyone?), but this is something that continues to confound me.

It seems that we should be good without the promise of blessings. And, to me at least, saying that we'll get blessings for doing things like tithing is almost superstitious to my thinking. I might as well cut the head off of a chicken and drink the blood or something.

The concept of blessings comes up so often at church and in my readings that it must be meaningful to LDS, but it makes me feel uncomfortable, almost like bargaining with God. Part of me wonders if I even have the right to ask for/expect blessings?

This is serious stuff for me, folks, so I'm looking forward to some thoughtful responses.

[Vort]

What an interesting question.

If we view the term "blessing" as any experience or item we have because of God's grace, it can easily be argued that every moment of our lives, every breath we take, every atom of our body is a blessing from God. Indeed, I think this expansive view is ultimately the best definition.

A narrower definition would be things given us by God directly, specifically, and individually, for our benefit. I think this definition works well, too, but we must then accept that many hardships and heartbreaks in our lives are in fact blessings from God. That might be hard to swallow for many people.

My problem with the concept is: If we are supposed to feel gratitude for God's blessings, does that somehow suggest that we need not feel any gratitude to God when we don't perceive any blessings? Elder Oaks gave a talk last General Conference wherein he mentioned a less-active woman whom he wished to encourage but who had said she could think of no reason to come back to Church. Elder Oaks asked her, "When you think of the many blessings God has given to you, don't you have many reasons to return to worship?" Her response was, "What has He done for me?" Elder Oaks was astonished at her reply. I am somewhat less astonished, because I have seen this lack of perception of blessings from others. But it seems a reasonable extension of the idea that we "count" our blessings and feel grateful for them; if we don't see any blessings, we don't feel any gratitude.

[skippy740]

Great question. I've got a lot of thoughts, so bear with me as I try to outline them.

D&C 130:21

And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

First, all blessings are predicated upon obedience to God's laws and commandments. We were obedient and chose the plan of our Father before we came to this earth. That's the first place where we received a blessing for that choice - the opportunity to gain a body and to be resurrected. This life, is something that we should feel blessed to have - both our trials and our good times.

Now, the fact that you got a nice interest rate on your car loan meant that you were honest in your dealings with your fellow man and honored your other loan contracts. The low rate is a blessing predicated upon your honoring your contracts.

Now, sometimes, we just receive 'grace'. We get blessings because we don't deserve them - or even 'in spite of ourselves'. I think this is a test to see if we are humble and express gratitude. We can remember the 10 leapers, and only 1 returned back to thank the Savior.

Should we expect/ask for blessings? We are asked to cry over our flocks and our fields. We are asked to pray for everything that we stand in need of - even if it seems trivial to us.

Isaiah 59:1

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

Now, here's where it gets interesting: Should we do things BECAUSE of the promised blessings, or because of our pure desire for the love and obedience of the commandments?

Some of us do better being enticed by a carrot... others a switch for lack of obedience. :) Whatever the reason, it's better to follow the commandments, than not to. Then, it's better to do so willingly, than to be coerced. Then, it's better to do so without any thought of reward, than to expect one.

Of course, once I'm expecting a "reward", it seems to take as long as some of those "rebate checks". It'll show up once you give up on expecting it to happen! (At least that seems true with me.)

[Guest]

I just got done posting on the 1st Article of Faith thread in which I wrote... our main goal is to be ONE with God. One in purpose, thoughts, deeds, everything.

The way I see blessings is... it is a sign that we have made one step closer to being ONE with God.

God promised us that if we align ourselves with God's will that He will bless us. Very vague - that word bless.

But, this is how I see it - when we align ourselves with God's will, we realize the good consequences of it. Because, that's the reason why God wills it - because it is the path that brings us joy. Not just joy for a moment... but eternal happiness.

Sometimes, though, because of our human frailty and short-sightedness, we don't see the blessing (the good consequence of obedience). It is there. We just didn't see it because the consequence that we expected does not align with God's will. For example, we pay tithes (aligning ourselves with God's will) and we expect to be rich (may not align with God's will). So, when we find ourselves still poor, we lose faith because we think that God reneged on His promise of blessings. What we didn't realize is that we HAVE been blessed by the joy of putting God ahead of material things - the blessing is the removal of the desire to have a 60 inch TV that we can't afford and we surely don't need to have joy because we decided to spend that money instead into tithes to build more temples to give our dearly departed the opportunity to find eternal happiness. THIS contentment IS the blessing we've missed to see.

[Dravin]

And, to me at least, saying that we'll get blessings for doing things like tithing is almost superstitious to my thinking.

It's no more superstitious than a belief that if you have faith in and follow Christ you'll be saved. The primary difference is you have a testimony of having faith in Christ. If I recall correctly tithing is something you are struggling with having a testimony about.

Part of me wonders if I even have the right to ask for/expect blessings?

We certainly have a right to expect blessings where they are delineated for us. If I didn't have a right to expect salvation for having faith in Christ then Christianity becomes a crap shoot. The expectation is born of trust in God's word. Thing is sometimes we expect blessings that aren't delineated and there comes problems. Paying your tithing is associated with blessings, and many people have experienced financial blessings inasmuch as when they choose to pay in the face of a shortfall that the shortfall resolves itself but there is no specified blessing for such. Personally I don't think the blessings of paying tithing are necessarily financial.

As far as asking for blessings:

7 ¶Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that aseeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11 If ye then, abeing evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

The Bible Dictionary adds this:

As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.

There are many passages in the N.T. that teach the duty of prayer (e.g., Matt. 7:7; 26:41; Luke 18:1; 21:36; Eph. 6:18; Philip. 4:6; Col. 4:2; 1 Thes. 5:17, 25; 1 Tim. 2:1, 8). Christians are taught to pray in Christ’s name (John 14:13–14; 15:7, 16; 16:23–24). We pray in Christ’s name when our mind is the mind of Christ, and our wishes the wishes of Christ—when his words abide in us (John 15:7). We then ask for things it is possible for God to grant. Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ’s name at all; they in no way represent his mind, but spring out of the selfishness of man’s heart.

So we most certainly have a right to pray and ask for blessings of our Father. The issue comes, once again, when we let our expectations run amok, we have a right to ask for things but sometimes what we ask for isn't the Father's will and thus won't be granted or will be granted but not in the way we expect. Combining this with the above can create a disastrous situation. One can fall into the thinking that one is following the commandments therefore they are entitled to a trial free life and then when trials appear think that a prayer will just make them go away when they rear their heads.

Edited December 28, 2013 by Dravin

[rameumptom]

I see it this way.

A blessing is whatever we, as individuals, see as blessing our lives. Job, upon losing everything, sat down and said, "the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." In such an attitude, we can see blessings in all things in our lives.

Perhaps we should focus less on blessings, and more on gratitude. Whether something was intentionally given us by God as a blessing or not, we can always express thanks and view it as a blessing.

I agree that we should not do something with receiving benefits as our main purpose. But recognizing the things we receive as blessings, goes a long way in us developing our gratitude and holiness in the Lord.

[dahlia]

I see it this way.

Perhaps we should focus less on blessings, and more on gratitude. Whether something was intentionally given us by God as a blessing or not, we can always express thanks...

This is what I try to do. There is much to be grateful for, and I do try to thank God for even the smallest things; it's just that I don't always see them as blessings (hence my problem), just things that happen for which I should be grateful.