I’m not wealthy. I’m not famous. I’m moderately successful in my profession. I have nice friends and a strong family. I also have debts to pay, children to support, and all the stresses that everyone else has. I’m a pretty ordinary person.In today’s second reading, Paul writes to the church at Ephesus: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world.”Now, I don’t know about you, but I rarely feel that I have every spiritual blessing in the heavens. Think about it. Paul doesn’t just suggest that we count our blessings to realize that we are more fortunate than we might think. He tells us we already have every blessing God has to offer. Every single one. So, for those of us who don’t always feel very blessed — who are preoccupied that all that we don’t have, or all that others do have — this should be good news. There is nothing God wants for us that we don’t already have. We are blessed with every blessing that heaven affords.God has not reserved special allocations of grace for some who will find wealth, beauty and fame. God has unleashed all the blessings of heaven to every single one of us.Paul goes on: “In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ … in him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.”Maybe the people at the church in Ephesus were feeling neglected or ignored by God. Maybe they were suffering with spiritual, financial or social hardships. Maybe they were wondering why they had to deal with adversity in life. In short, maybe they were a lot like us. Or maybe we’re a lot like them.Paul reassures all of us that our status as God’s children entitles us to all that God has to offer. God is not reluctant to grant us every blessing — he has already “lavished it upon us.” So if God has lavished his grace upon us, why do we often feel so dissatisfied with our lives? Is it because we look at others with more material comforts and wish we had those kinds of riches, in addition to the riches of God’s grace? I have to admit, that is something I struggle with. I want to be more comfortable, more secure, more “blessed.” But today’s reading tells us that there is no “more.” We already have it all. My challenge, I think, is to remind myself of this and to remember not so much to count my blessings — because if what Paul writes is true they are uncountable anyway — but to acknowledge and celebrate the truth that we are all immeasurably blessed. God has not reserved special allocations of grace for some who will find wealth, beauty and fame. God has unleashed all the blessings of heaven to every single one of us. In that sense, none of us are “ordinary” people. There is no such thing. Bill Peatman writes from Napa. He may be reached at [email protected].
