The quest for happiness

Elaine Storkey unpacks what the word ‘blessed’ means through Jesus’ words in the Beatitudes and reminds us of the positive impact we can all have on the world around us when we live by his values 

Study passage: Matthew 5:1-11

The queue for the bus was held up as a young woman struggled with buggy, toddler and bags of shopping. I reached forward for her shopping and held the toddler’s hand as mum manoeuvred the buggy and baby on to the bus. The baby slept peacefully and, once on, the mother gathered up her toddler, sinking gratefully into the seat reserved for them. She smiled up at me and said: “Bless you.” For her, it was a simple expression of thanks. For me it was imbued with biblical meaning. Jesus talks about people who are ‘blessed’ in his Sermon on the Mount, and this word is often translated as ‘happy’. So, probably without realising it, this mother was wishing happiness upon me; that I might enjoy the abundance that comes from God. I was glad to receive it.