Proud to be Poor

A few weeks ago, I signed up for an intensive Bible study class at my church called “Basic Training.” To give you an idea of this course, it’s “a 7-week course designed to equip Christ followers to live an abundant life. The study centers around 10 Biblical truths that are closely linked with the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12.”

Keep in mind that I am a relatively new follower of Christ. I’ve always been a believer (even if I’ve doubted), but I never did anything about it. I never really even tried to grow myself spiritually. I always thought that if I was a good person, Heaven would be waiting for me. I clearly did not understand what it meant to really be a Christian. This year, however, I found a great church family that finally helped me to understand what being a Christian is really about. I accepted Christ as my savior, prayed for forgiveness from God and was baptized.

The whole point of that last paragraph is to tell you that everything I will be writing here is from the eyes of a new follower of Christ. I may not have much knowledge to share, but I definitely have perspective. I have been jaded by my past life, but with Christ and the church I am learning to become more un-jaded. I am searching for enlightenment and understanding just like everyone else. I am just coming into it with probably more naïveté than most of the other bloggers you may read here on Moms of Faith.

My first real lesson during “Basic Training” was that it is a good thing to be “poor in spirit.” The first Beatitude tells us, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). To me, this concept seemed a bit strange. It was so backwards in my mind. I accepted Christ into my heart and he saved my soul. Doesn’t that mean I am no longer “poor in spirit?” Doesn’t that mean that I am now spiritually fulfilled?

Hardly.

The pastor that was teaching the “Basic Training” course put it into perspective for me. “To be poor in spirit means to have desperate need. This is how we all come to God.” I get it now! As long as I am poor in spirit, I have a need for God’s love and the freedom that comes along with it. Where would I be if I no longer needed God’s love? If I was no longer poor in spirit, what would that mean? I don’t even want to know. I’m content in my neediness.

I need God’s love. I need God’s provisions. I need God’s forgiveness. I need strength. I need courage. I need so much. I need so much more than I can do for myself. There is no chance that I will ever not be needy. And, as hard as it is to rely on someone else (even God), it is something that must be accepted as one of God’s children. Thanks to “Basic Training” and the conversations we had in our small groups, I more fully understand this neediness and I know that I will always be “poor in spirit.”

And I am proud to be poor.

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