- The act or words of one that blesses.
- A thing conducive of happiness or welfare.
- Grace said at a meal.
- Approval.
- Encouragement.
All of us desire a blessing in our lives. We long for an agreeable consideration to the decisions we make and the actions we take.
- As children we desire to receive a blessing from our parents.
- As parents we desire to impart a blessing to our children.
The same desire is found in spiritual relationships, whether it be a Spiritual Father/Son; Pastor/Parishioner; etc. We desire to SPEAK BLESSING over those we have raised up in the faith, birthed into the ministry or set over a work.
We should seek a blessing in everything we do...BEFORE we do it. Nothing muddies the water anymore than having to clean up someone's mess because they wouldn't "wait" (Romans 12) to be sent and just went.
In my own experience, Beverly and I have always sought for a blessing in every transition or season of our lives. We believe that your EXIT must be blessed so that your ENTRANCE can be. We believe this, not because of theory but by practice.
How do you transfer a blessing to someone? Here are a couple of suggestions from Gary Smalley, in his book "The Blessing":
1. Give meaningful touch
- There's no substitute for hugs, kisses and contact. Jacob hugged and kissed his sons and grandsons. Jesus picked up the little children and held them in His arms. In the early church, we see the "laying on of hands" to impart spiritual gifts, healing and blessing. To "lay our hands" on something means to bless it.
2. Verbal Affirmation
- Words are powerful
- Words can do great good or inflict incredible damage. The Scriptures teach us that "life and death are in the power of the tongue." (Proverbs 18:21).
- When we say things like "I'm proud of you or you did that well", we are sending a message of affirmation. It's critical that fathers plant the seeds of unconditional love deep into his children's souls; it's their first taste of what God's love is like.
- Attach value
- To bless can mean to "to honor." Honoring someone is as simple as looking them in the eye when they're speaking to you or stopping and listening when they want to talk.
- Paint a picture of a positive future
- Identifying their gifts and attaching value to them is SOWING seeds of faith for their future! Saying things like "The way you draw means you'll always be creative in whatever you do" or "You want to be a policeman? That means you have courage" or "you love animals so much, maybe you will be a veterinarian" or "you love to talk and communicate ideas, you'd be a good teacher!"
- Demonstrate Active Commitment
- Today, kids spell LOVE two ways: T-I-M-E and M-O-N-E-Y! We can't just say we love our kids, we have to demonstrate it through sacrifice. Parents, who love their kids, will do without some things they'd like to have in order to raise and care for their offspring. All true love has a sacrificial element to it.
Patrick Morely, in his book, "Man in the Mirror" tells about a fishing trip. A group of fishermen had landed in a secluded bay in Alaska and had a great day of fishing for salmon. When they returned to their sea plane, they were surprised to discover that it was aground because of the fluctuating tides. They had no option except to wait until the next morning when the tides come in. But when they took off, they only got a few feet off the ground and came crashing down into the sea. Being aground the day before had punctured one of the pontoons, and it had filled up with water. The sea plane slowly began to sink, and there were three men and a 12-year-old son, Mark. They prayed, and then jumped into the icy cold waters to swim to shore. The water was cold, and the riptide was strong. Two of the men reached the shore exhausted. They looked back, and their companion, who was also a strong swimmer, did not swim to shore because his 12-year-old son wasn't strong enough to make it. They saw that father with his arms around his son being swept out to sea. He chose to die with his son rather than to live without him.
There's not a real father/mother reading this that would not lay down their life so that their child might live.
If you love your children enough to die for them...will you love them enough to live for them?
I want to encourage you to live like John The Baptist did as he prepared the way for the ministry of Jesus and the coming of the Kingdom of God to earth. Here's what the Prophet Malachi said about John:
- "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse." - Malachi 4:5-6
Friends, the coming of the Kingdom is tied up in the FATHER'S BLESSING! Seek blessing in all you do, wait for it...and speak blessing to all you can.
May we live our lives as a recipient of blessing and a dispenser of blessing!
Blessings!
