It is a family joke that one of my Uncles said one holiday as the grace before dinner, “Bless the Blessed”. It sounds so silly. We laugh about it to this day. What was he thinking if at all, we have all wondered. Today, I thought of him. Today, I wondered if I understood the meaning of his short, brief prayer.
When we think of giving, we often think of giving to the needy, the downtrodden, those who are having a tough time and really seem to be in need, or are just going through something. Recently, I was challenged to just do an act of kindness to someone. I naturally thought of how I could bless someone who is having a tough time. That’s who really needs the act or just the thought right? Not necessarily.
That idea didn’t exactly work out so I went down to grab lunch. While at the counter, I told the café owner that I will pay for the gentlemen’s lunch behind me. This man wasn’t in need (at least none that I could see). He seemed in good spirits. Then I bought him lunch and this good spirited guy had a renewed spark and awareness. I almost missed the opportunity to bless him because I wanted to bless someone who “really needed it”.
As someone who isn’t needy and no one ever thinks of as being in need, I can attest that there is nothing better than feeling like someone thought of you, because the “blessed” or seemingly so, are those typically left out of being blessed. When I am blessed by someone else, it is a reminder that God sees me, he hears me, and he is with me. He sees what I am thinking, experiencing and is challenged with, even though they are things that no one else can physically see. The blessing is a reminder of his presence in my life. When we look to give, to bless, and do good, it’s good to think of the needy but don’t forget to also bless the “blessed”.
Actually, after I blessed the gentleman behind me, I ordered added a soup to my order and the café owner brought it full circle and blessed me with a free cup of soup. Thank you Lord for allowing me to help someone else feel seen and for at the same time reminding me that you see me.
God Applied 