You’re blessed when you are content with just who you are. No more, no less. That’s the moment you become proud owners of everything that cannot be bought. [Matthew 5:7 The Message]
This is an interesting translation of Matthew 5:7 from Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of the Bible called The Message. You are probably more familiar with the passage as translated "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."
When I first heard this, I’m not sure if I was comfortable with his translation. Be content with who I am? Didn’t John Wesley say that we should all strive toward perfection? We should strive as if it was a reachable goal. Plus, how can I be content with who I am when I mess up so much?
Yet as I reflected more on this, I began to realize that Peterson may be on to something here. Be content with just who you are. No more, no less. Be the person who God created you to be. If you strive to be something else, your striving is no longer led by God, but driven from within. This is certainly a prescription for failure, disappointment, and most likely an ulcer. However, if you are content with just who you are, then you are open to God working in your life.
You are blessed when you are content with just the way God made you. That’s the moment you become proud owners of everything that God has blessed you with. All things that cannot be bought.