“IN A SENSE WE are all hungry and in need, but most of us don’t recognize it. With plenty to eat in the deep freeze, with a roof over our heads and a car in the garage, we assume that the empty feeling inside must be just a case of the blues that can be cured by a weekend in the country or an extra martini at lunch or the purchase of a color TV.

The poor, on the other hand, are under no such delusion. When Jesus says, ‘Come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28), the poor stand a better chance than most of knowing what he’s talking about and knowing that he’s talking to them. In desperation they may even be willing to consider the possibility of accepting his offer. This is perhaps why Jesus on several occasions called them peculiarly blessed” (Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking).

I think the key is not that being poor in spirit is a quality we need to emulate, but it’s a recognition that brings us closer to God in Jesus. We’re more likely to understand that all our efforts have been exhausting and futile and that we need not to try harder but to rest.

It comes down to desperation. If I think I can be good enough or smart enough or rich enough on my own, I will never depend on God. I will never reach out to God except on some rare emergency. But if I know my poverty of spirit, that I bring absolutely nothing to God, then I will learn to lean on God for everything.

I love how Jesus says that unless we become like little children, we can never enter the Kingdom of God. That’s not a license to be childish, but to be childlike. The key is that little kids are dependent on their parents for everything. They don’t pretend to be self-sufficient. They don’t hide their need. They have a trust that Mom and Dad will give them what they need when they need it. And that’s how our faith should be.