I just completed the book by brothers Chip Heath and Dan Heath, “Made to Stick”, and in it they discuss the “curse of knowledge”(when you know about something and expect that others will know as well). I hear on a regular basis from others to be blessed, and I accept their words and thank them. I will say however I am pretty sure that I take the words for granted. As a Christian, blessings are a significant part of our lives and I fear I may expect that everyone gets the same out of the words.
Here is what the Bible says about blessings:
“22The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23’Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, 24The Lord bless you and keep you; 25the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 27So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.’” – Numbers 6:22-27 (ESV)
The words here are great, although when I see them, I have to admit to myself that again I may be swayed by the curse of knowledge and therefore I studied a bit further into the commentary of my NIV Bible and here is what I found.
“A blessing was one way of asking for God’s divine favor to rest upon others…Its five parts conveyed hope that God would (1) bless and keep them (favor and protect); (2) make his face shine upon them (be pleased); (3) be gracious (merciful and compassionate); (4) turn his face toward them (give his approval); (5) give peace. When you ask God to bless others or yourself, you are asking him to do these five things.”
When looking at what offering blessings to others is, it is more than just favor from God. There is a depth of what I am saying and what others are saying to me that I must embrace fully to get the most out of what God has to offer and has been providing.
I have to be mindful of what I am saying to others and remember that I they may not really know what I am trying to convey. When giving blessings, I must remember I am asking God to do the five things for those I am speaking.
When you think of someone granting you blessings, what goes through your mind? What about when you are offering blessings for others? Do they know, and more importantly do you know what you are saying?
Trevor's Thoughts 