In the famous “Sermon on the Mount” passage in the Bible’s Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presented a series of eight “beatitudes.” Each was a saying that turned conventional wisdom on its head, showing how in God’s eyes the oppressed are blessed and the despised are prized. No one can improve on those inspired beatitudes, of course. But what if we tried to capture their perspective and redirected them to apply specifically to the writer’s life? Such as:
Blessed are the writers, for to write is to create, and to create is to reflect the image of God.
Blessed are those who write in weakness and pain, for their honesty and vulnerability will enrich their writing.
Blessed are those who are humbled by success as well as failure. One is sun, the other rain; both are needed to grow.
Blessed are those who do not love their own words too dearly but hunger and thirst for helpful criticism and accept the work of an editor with wisdom and grace, for they will be valued.
Blessed are the writers who are readers, for whom books and stories and articles are their food and drink, for they will be filled, and out of the abundance of their hearts and minds they will write.
Blessed are those who delight in non-monetary rewards, for they will be richer than those who write only for money.
Blessed are those whose manuscripts are rejected, for (like saplings that withstand the storm) they will be strengthened by adversity.
Blessed are those who seek God’s glory more than their own, who are warmed by their names in print, but set aflame by a spiritual truth well expressed, for great is their reward in heaven.
Do you see yourself in any of the above? Would you delete or revise any? What “beatitudes” would you add to the list?