Posted Sep 19, 2022 |
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The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. ~Proverbs 11:25.
We can spend our time thinking about what we don’t have or have missed out on. We can spend time alone, dreaming, longing for other things. But coveting what other people have will not get you anywhere, nor will it make you feel better.
Some people believe if they have the latest and greatest things they will feel better about who they are. They believe things–possessions–will make them whole. They will fight others in a store during “Black Friday” to obtain something that is the top product of the year.
Stuff doesn’t make you feel blessed, long term.
We spend too much time on ourselves and not enough time on or with others. You do not need more me time or need to put so much effort into you. God has you. God’s provisions are there for you. You already focus on yourself by getting up and brushing your teeth every morning. You shower and get dressed. Each day, probably several times a day, you cook and eat food to keep physically sustained. When you are not feeling well, you visit a doctor. At least twice a year, you probably visit a dentist.
There isn’t more to the “You Show” that needs to happen!
The Bible gives us a command that is seen as the greatest commandment, above all other laws in His Word. We are to love God and love others. In that order, you are focused not on yourself. We can actually accomplish both by pointing most of our efforts on one. If we love others, then we are loving God well.
Feeling blessed does not come from purchasing things or having all attention on you. This is a difficult truth for all of us, but nowhere in the the Bible does that even come up as a possibility. We can look to the Ten Commandments for an example. The first five are dedicated to loving God well. The next five are dedicated to loving others well. I didn’t see myself once in there. Not once did I see “me, me, me”.
There is only one way to actually feel blessed and that is to be a blessing to others.
In our 20+ years together, my husband and I have worked really hard to teach that to our kids. Here are some ideas for being a blessing!
- Tithe a certain percentage (we recommend 10%) and give special offerings to bless others!
- You can purchase birthday gifts for employees, bring them their favorite creamer for their coffee, take them out to lunch.
- Give special donations to outreach events and people who are in need.
- Donate a love offering to missionaries out on the field.
- Support short-term missionary trips.
- Hire people for jobs who could use the money.
- Support women’s ministries.
Blessings are not just created through finances! Acts of service are fantastic ways to bless others. Here are some of the ways we have been blessed to bless and think you might like the ideas, too!
- Feed people at shelters and food pantries.
- Help fill the food pantries of local churches and while on mission trips.
- Play with kiddos in third-world countries, to bring them joy.
- Clean people’s houses or babysit their kids, for free.
- Allow people to stay in our house, while we were out of town so they wouldn’t have to get a hotel.
- Let others borrow vehicles while theirs get fixed.
We have never received push back from our kids to participate. Why? Because it is the culture we cultivate in our house to be a blessing to others. We are blessed to be a blessing!
While this is what must be spoken over your children, it is vital that it is also displayed. You can’t expect your kids to serve others if you have them do the work while you sit by to watch the happenings. They will follow your lead. If you joyfully jump in to help get things accomplished, lightening the load of others, they will want to do the same or at the very least not complain about participating.
Blessed to be a blessing!
The Lord continues to bless me, giving me the opportunity to bless others. My children have been the recipient of it and they enjoy doing the same for other, which then blesses me again. My heart is full.
Our youngest loves to help pay for things for others. He doesn’t quite understand that his $2 is not a great amount but he does understand that his $2 was more than what someone had without it. So he gives. He holds open doors for his sisters! He will carry things in for others, without being asked, and he is only nine years old.
Middle sweet daughter aches for those going without. Her favorite thing to do, every year, is feed the homeless on her birthday. I am sure I will be posting about that in December. Years ago, when asked what she wanted to do for her birthday, she saw a man with a sign that said he was hungry. She has seen me purchase meals at fast food places to give to people standing on the side of the road. Our middle lady got the idea to make sack lunches and drive around the city dropping them off. Some years, we only have a handful and, other years, we have several dozen bags.
Little things leave great impacts.
The eldest, still living at home, enjoys caring for peoples’ needs. She plays with other peoples’ kiddos to keep them occupied while their parents are needing to complete tasks. She helps do physical activities such as paint pews, set up for women’s ministry things, bakes cookies for the ladies coming to our house, and carries things for others. She enjoys baking and cooking food for people to ease their day. Her food speaks love. A family from our church needed meals for the week and she signed herself up to make a meal for them, without my help…except for purchasing the supplies and driving her to drop it off.
Our two adult daughters have learned the same and are participating on their own, without the support of their parents.
Teach them in the ways they shall go and when they are old they will not depart from it, even blessing others. The generous will prosper and be refreshed because they are refreshing others!
The Lord has truly blessed me in seeing my children bless others.
