Is it okay to be blessed?

 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing."  (Genesis 12:1,2)

Thoughts:  Some have the idea that we all should be the exact same- same wealth, same name recognition, same clothes, cars.  No one, they say, should be blessed or have more than anyone else.  The problem with this is that it does not fit the reality of life.  Even when communism is tried for years (think Cuba, USSR) it seems the ruling class becomes the government- and they become the ones to tell us how to be equal.  The other problem with that is that when governments become the totalitarian say of what is right or wrong- things like the Cultural Revolution in China happen (where 60 million were killed), or the Killing Fields of Cambodia, or the Gulags of the USSR (where another 5-10 million died).  If there is no God- then there is no ultimate reality to tell you killing is wrong.  The other problem is to think that blessings only have a physical dimension.  Blessing well up inside of us thanksgiving, and help us to live for the One who blesses.  God is, we say, the ultimate reward and the ultimate rewarder.  As James says, "Every good and perfect gift comes from above" (1:17).  A gift is not just a physical answer to prayer, but also things like patience, grace, love, peace, self-control.  
The other side of this is that some claim more variety than reality allows. The truth is we really can't be anything we want to be- we are limited by who we are and what we are.  We cannot become God.  There is only One, though we can imitate Him.  
But this all leads up to the idea- is it okay to be blessed?  Some religions say no.  But others say that the blessings of this life are only temporary and cannot be grasped for long.  Christianity has always had its ascetics, hermits, and vows of poverty.  Sometimes the gold of the Vatican goes parallel to these. 
     There is a danger in blessings.  Deuteronomy 8 says when you eat and are satisfied, build fine houses, and your work prospers (flocks and herds) and your portfolio (silver and gold) increases, our heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God.  So it is important to praise, thank, and worship God who is the Blessor.  We should not think because we were born on third base we hit a triple, or even be envious because we are on first and others are on third- that they are somehow evil.  It is wrong (part of our selfishness and envy) to think that just because someone has a bunch that they are by nature wrong.  There are many who are generous.  But the hoarders who are blessed but do not share the blessing and build bigger and better and more storage sheds (barns) need to rethink before the giver of every minute of life requires life of them.  
It is not wrong to ask to be blessed.  Jabez did it: "Bless me indeed and enlarge my territory.  May your hand be with me.  Keep me from evil that I may cause no harm" (1 Chron. 4:10,11).  It is okay to ask for blessings- God can say no.  In saying no, God may teach us to be content with what we have- and to curb our ambition or seeking to be God in place of God.  
Blessing and being blessed is not wrong.  In some ways, Jesus was the most blessed- more know His name today than any other.  Yet Jesus was born homeless (in a stable/cave), and said that he had no home ("foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head").  Yet Jesus was anointed with the most expensive oil.  He was welcomed into important places. But He kept little physically- but was blessed emotionally and spiritually.  Perhaps we should seek more to be blessed like Jesus.  
But when Jesus heals someone- some may wonder why He doesn't heal all.  Sometimes it was lack of faith or prayer but other times there were just limited healing.  When God blesses someone, why doesn't He bless everyone.  Does this mean He does not love?  This is indeed a mystery.  But just because it is a mystery does not mean we should not trust God.  We can learn to trust God whether we are on the cross, in the valley, or on the mountaintop.  Perhaps it is trusting God no matter what that is more important than the physical, mental, and emotional blessings we have?  

Prayer: Lord help me to trust in you with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding.  Help me to be patient and wait on you, believing in your ability to bless in this life or the next.