Blessed

This is part of Webster's definition of blessed:
Bless"ed
a. 1. Hallowed; consecrated; worthy of blessing or adoration; heavenly; holy.
2. Enjoying happiness or bliss; favored with blessings; happy; highly favored.
All generations shall call me blessed. --Luke i. 48.
3. Imparting happiness or bliss; fraught with happiness; blissful; joyful.
4. Enjoying, or pertaining to, spiritual happiness, or heavenly felicity; as, the blessed in heaven.
5. (R. C. Ch.) Beatified.
6. Used euphemistically, ironically, or intensively. Not a blessed man came to set her [a boat] free. --R. D. Blackmore.

I have been thinking about this word for so long. The way it has been used in churches has always bothered me a little bit. For instance, "God was taking care of us-we are so blessed, the tornado turned and hit another town instead of ours." Doesn't that statement imply that God IS NOT taking care of the towns that were in the path of the tornado? Another lady said, "We have been so blessed (speaking of her successful business and financial prosperity.) We have been able to build our dream house...etc." My question to that is, Is financial prosperity and reaching the "American Dream" always a blessing? My good friend Celena recently wrote a great blog about the American Dream. Reading her blog finally motivated me to write this one.

It seems to me that God's blessings are more complex than physical protection, financial prosperity, and the accomplishment of our dreams. When I think of God's greatest blessings in my life it has very little to do with how much money I have.

Doesn't Paul make reference to financial situations being somewhat irrelevant in Philippians 4?

I believe that His true blessings have more to do with our spiritual health and betterment than our physical health. Sometimes physical illness is the blessing we need to bring us to a point of trusting Him. If declaring bankruptcy is what will bring us to dependence on Him with our finances, then running out of money would be a huge blessing. Living poor in Christ each day is more of a blessing than living rich independently of Him. If we are able to be rich, dependent on Him, and help others in need, then in that case the money is a blessing.

Does the blessing have less to do with the money, than the spiritual work God is doing using health, money, circumstances, etc.?

Sometimes debt is a blessing, sometimes money is a blessing. Sometimes sickness is a blessing, sometimes health is a blessing. Sometimes safety is a blessing, but sometimes destruction is a blessing.

I think God desires for all of us to live a full, abundant life in Christ and any means to bring us to that end is the greatest blessing from Him that we can ever have...whether or not it is fun and comfortable is another story! :)

Any thoughts on this? I would love to hear them!