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Meet ordinary people who exemplify the upside-down values of Jesus’ Beatitudes.
“Why me?” is the cry I hear most often in my work as a hospice chaplain. I’m not a theologian, but through my encounters with people who are elderly, disabled, dying, and bereaved – and through my own quest for peace – Jesus’ teachings known as the Beatitudes have become essential. They describe the attributes of God’s people: God is with those who suffer, those beaten down by life and rejected by the world. Whether you consider yourself a Christian or not, you too can be encouraged by these words:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Broken but Blessed is a journey through the lives of ordinary people who exemplify these values, which flip the priorities of modern society on their head. Perhaps you, like one of these people, are up against insurmountable odds, battling illness or devastated by loss. You may have been rejected, betrayed, or abused. Whatever you are facing, these people will accompany you, showing how suffering can be transformed into blessing and how, even in our own brokenness, we can become a blessing to others.
As a former hospital chaplain, I was able to re-live meaningful and significant experiences described in many of your vignettes about human suffering. The examples and characteristics tied to the Beatitudes were not simple rhetoric, but an application to every area of life. Through Broken but Blessed, the beatitudes, awakened within me the thought that if we receive Jesus' invitation to come to him, he will give us rest, for he is gentle and lowly in heart, and we will find rest for our souls.
Rebekah Domer’s book on the Beatitudes leads us on a journey into the practical application of the beatitudes. It is not a book of exegesis but of lived experience. Throughout, the author uses her observation of the lives of people she has known, worked with or served, to illustrate the fact that if we can fully put our lives into the Lord’s hands we will discover that he is there with us, in every situation we find ourselves. An inspiring read!
Like a stream of pure water running over a myriad of imperfect, damaged and yet all too real humanity, you bring peace and love, regardless of what people do and don't believe in. You do this without naivete and with a tenderness and the authority of your own experience. Your writing is distinctive for a simplicity which is rare in any writer. The language of the scriptures is there for people to explore further should they so want to do so. This book should be in every school in the country.
