How do we balance blessing and challenge? How do we offer gratitude and exhortation both? Jesus isn’t condemning folk for not living into this promise; he is blessing those who already have a vision of what it means to be fully alive in Christ and encouraging those who haven’t yet caught that vision to lean into the possibilities. We all need to feel that blessing, that presence of spirit and affirmation of our desire to follow Christ. At the same time, we can issue the challenge to continue in the way that leads to the kingdom. We can grow in faith and witness. We are not blessed to feel better in ourselves. We are blessed to be a blessing.