A heavy heart greeted me this morning, a sad and lonely heart, along with a few words from a song. "Sweet, sweet, sweet, you used to be so sweet to me", sang the sweet voice of Tori Amos in my head. Some sorting through some music, and a lyrics search, showed me that the line was from "Muhammad my Friend". Near the end of the song, Tori chants one word for a while, "Ashre, Ashre, Ashre, Ashre". Not familiar with that word, I've done a little research, and learned a little something that helps to ease that heavy heart of mine. There, in the lyrics to an appropriately title song put down by Tori, is a message from God, a bit of solace, a part of His wonderful plan. Ashre is a signpost, a guide, a reminder that God's path is full of joy and blessings.

One of the many things I love about God is the clues and puzzles he provides us. If you are curious, adventurous, and motivated; the Lord provides the game and the lessons. When the morning began, I was laying in a bed of guilt and shame, and those words "You used to be so sweet to me" were a melody of lost love and affection. In an attempt to break from the darkness, or to wallow in it, I found the song and listened closely. As with much of Tori's music, the message in the song is not obvious, but the poetry and images are crystal clear. In an attempt to convince Muhammad that it is time to tell the world that "it was a girl back in Bethlehem", she touches on Moses and the Pope, and introduced me to Ashre.

Ashre is a hebrew word, and in the most literal sense, it means "we are one", and also "blessed are those". In psalms cxliv. 15, Ashre ha-'Am is generally translated as "happy the people whose God is the Lord", though happy is not the best word. Happy is an emotion, one that I did not feel upon waking, but Ashre is a blessing. Not to be confused with the type of blessing that involves direct interaction from God, Ashre is a blessing that is available to us, every one of us, if we desire. Ashre is a force, like Karma, a peace from the troubles of our hearts that is part of the fabric of reality. Some heartfelt believers say that if you recite the Psalms containing Ashre "three times a day(, one) may feel certain of having a portion in the life to come".

The key to unlocking Ashre in our lives is through confession, or honesty. To be honest, fill your heart with love and look to the past. When you love the past, you can open the door to honest expression of what has transpired. Love your choices, even if the consequences were great; love the path God laid for you, and love how you walked that path. This is the key to honesty, and honest reflection of your actions and heart are the key to confession. When you confess, in your own heart and to God, you put down the emotional baggage of guilt and fear. Confession, call it repentance or therapy, is to air out the skeletons in the closet and to cease consealing your actions. You cannot hide from God or yourself, and when you stop convincing yourself that you can, you can have Ashre, the blessing of being one with God, a part of God, a child of our Lord.

The Lord loves us, made us, and wants us to live. He created us perfectly, but did not make us perfect. Augustine said "the beginning of knowledge is to know oneself to be a sinner". Henry VIII wrote elegantly, "Do not claim the right to the kingdom on the grounds of your own justice, nor the right to sin on the grounds of God's mercy". God does not love us because we do the right thing all the time, God loves us because we tell him what we did. In exchange for this honesty, this act of confession and humility, God provides joy and blessings.

I encourage you to explore Ashre, to become comfortable with God's world and the forces at work. When your heart is heavy, you spirit low and broken, confess this to God. Tell the loving Lord how you feel, why you feel that way, what you did to feel that way. Admit, to yourself and God, that you sinned, that you missed the mark, that you didn't try as hard as you could have. Clean off that dusty mirror into your heart, and be honest about what you see, your desires and fears, mistakes, wrongs, and all the dirty secrets you don't want to tell anybody. God can handle it, God loves you, and God blesses you for your honesty.