Being poor in spirit?

Matthew 5:3 - Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This verse could be translated as: “Happy are the destitute in spirit”. The paradox of the Gospel is that the great of this world shall be humbled and the humble shall be made great. Likewise the poor in spirit, the ones who know they need the grace of God will exceed the proud and self-righteous.

We can read later in Matthew of a Gentile woman who wanted Jesus to heal her child. Knowing Jesus was sent only to the Jews, God’s chosen people, desiring any small gift from Him she said of herself, “…yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.” How poor in spirit she was! Christ answered her, “O woman, great is thy faith…” She did not think more highly of herself than she should have, but was simply enriched with faith, from which her child was healed.

Will appropriating the grace of God, through His Son, put you in the company of the lowliest and poorest among us? Can we afford to be spiritually poor? Will it cost us to gain everything? If we join the poor spirit, could we not then say: “for ours is the kingdom of heaven?” We can certainly say, “Yes!” They, or if you prefer, we would definitely be blessed to be so poor.