The first mention of blessing in the Bible is Genesis 1:22 when God created life for the first time in the form of living creatures in the sea and every winged bird to fly above the earth. “” And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number…’” This is repeated in Gen. 1:28 when he created man and blessed him.
The root meaning of the words “bless, blessing, blessed’ includes the thought of kneeling or cause to kneel, by implication to bless God. I find this very interesting. God is the giver of all life, and by giving life has passed something of himself onto or into his creatures. When we reach out beyond ourselves to bless someone, we are being extensions of God’s hand to bless that person.
There are many ways to bless another person and it doesn’t have to be monetary, although that can be an avenue of blessing. Listed below are some ways we can be a blessing:
- Words of encouragement. Prov. 25:11 says “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” How about speaking a word of encouragement to your pastor? So much better than voicing criticism.
- Complimenting a perfect stranger. I have experienced this, and the kind words of someone made my day!! Some words I have never forgotten. It just gives you a good feeling that lasts all through the day.
- Helping a senior citizen with a shopping cart, reaching a top shelf, picking up something they have dropped, giving directions to something they are looking for, etc. It not only blesses them but gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling.
- Paying for someone’s grocery items when it appears they don’t have enough money to pay for them. A young lady was ahead of me in the grocery checkout with a gallon of milk, and her EBT card was not working. She started to leave, and without even thinking, I spoke up and said, “I’ll pay for that.” She was very grateful, and even though I blessed her, I felt blessed.
- Paying for someone’s drink at a coffee shop. That’s not something you plan to receive. It’s like an unexpected gift on Christmas morning.
- Taking your neighbors a batch of homemade cookies or some other goodie, for no reason at all.
- Sometimes blessing someone will be monetary. Listen to the voice of the Lord and he will impress you how you can bless someone in need unexpectedly. A handshake that includes a folded paper bill of any denomination can be an avenue of blessing.
When you develop a habit of blessing others, you’ll be surprised about how blessed you feel. We can be God’s hand extended in this world and you don’t have to be rich to practice blessing.. As Casey Bombacie said, “Giving is living.!!”
Naomi Brinkman
