"Hallelujah" Shawn McDonald

I was praying for a way to express the way my heart has hurt for the nation of Japan the last 24 hours, as well as a way to process my sports-day working with handicapped students. I wanted a way to speak of the relationships growing around me, and the way God is revealing himself to me.  This is the answer to my prayer:

Matthew 5:3-10
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God
Blessed are the persecuted, for they will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven

So, in other words

Blessed is the student who recently told me about their deep depression- because the Kingdom of Heaven is passionate about Renewing and Healing.
Blessed are the citizens in Japan who have lost their farms, their houses, their sons and daughters- because God is eager to comfort them.
Blessed are the Haagas, missionaries in Niger, who humbly rely on God for ALL their provisions- because God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and his pockets are never empty.
Blessed is my best friend Daria Wilson as she fights for Justice for dozens of sex-trafficking victims in the Philippines- because God will fill her desire for justice to reign in the Philippines.
Blessed are the Japanese emergency workers who volunteered to help New Zealand when they had an earthquake in Christchurch two weeks ago and are now returning to their own disaster-stricken country- because God will remember the mercy they poured out on New Zealand
Blessed are the children I met today- because they see God in everything from flowers to trampolines!
Blessed are the mentally/physically disabled athletes I worked with yesterday- because in the races yesterday, they congratulated their opponents for getting 6^th place out of 6 runners, simply because their opponent crossed the finish line.
Blessed are my brothers and sisters around the world who are forced out of their jobs, forced into jail, and forced to give up their life for their faith- because they understand that it is better to give up what they cannot keep in order to gain what they cannot lose