Hello everyone. I’m Michelle Anthony. Welcome to family ministry conversations. Today’s topic is going to be the blessing. What a wonderful opportunity we have as ministry leaders and helping our parents bless the next generation. This is something that comes straight from Scripture.
The idea of blessing is to speak a benediction over someone. The word benediction literally means good speaking.
Consider how much bad speaking is being poured out on our children, on our students and even our families, our marriages and individuals within our lives that are just being immersed in bad speaking because the world and the enemy is dragging them down.
The word benediction literally means good speaking.
Blessing is an Opportunity to Declare Truth
This opportunity to speak good over them, it fills their minds and hearts with things that are true. Things that are true that God says about them. So when blessing children or blessing one another, the Scripture gives us some cues to that. And one of those things is that we want to speak truth.
So often when I am blessing a child or a friend or my mate, I will speak words of Scripture directly over to them because that is truth. We know those to be true.
Sometimes I will speak things that I want to be true over my children because I want them to be secure and confident in their identity in Christ. So I speak that good over them that they may find that.
Blessing Isn’t the Same as Praying
Now, a blessing is different from a prayer in whom we are directing it toward. So, for example in a prayer I’m directing it towards God. “Dear heavenly Father, dear Jesus.” But in a blessing I’m directing it toward you.
So when you see blessings throughout the scripture, you generally see where it’s like “may you know” or “may you be blessed.” The words “may you” direct me that I’m speaking toward you in a prayerful attitude.
A Few Tips When Giving a Blessing
Be Yourself
So some of the encouragement I like to give people when they’re learning to bless others is first just to be yourself. There’s no right or wrong way to bless someone because it’s coming from your heart and you’re speaking truth that God is going to use.
You’re just the vehicle that He is using. So it doesn’t have to be perfect, and it doesn’t have to be one way or the other. So be yourself.
Use Appropriate Touch
The second is when you’re blessing your children or even a good friend or a spouse, I encourage an appropriate touch. Maybe a hand on a shoulder or holding someone’s hand and then to look them directly in the eyes.
Make Eye Contact
Think about how often we are not giving direct eye contact to those that we love. One child once told me that the only time her parents looked at her was when she was been disciplined. Now, that’s a horrible thought.
So we want to make sure that we’re giving them eye contact, we’re looking them directly in their eyes. And then I love to start a blessing, if I’m a parent with these words: “Brandon, your mother loves you.” Or “Jacob, your father loves you.”
Words of Blessing are Powerful
Now, when we say those things to our children, we are reminding them the goodness of being loved unconditionally everyday by their parents. Just imagine, what life would be like if you had heard those words alone from your parent every single day.
Now, if you’re blessing a friend, you can say: “Cheryl, your Heavenly Father loves you.” We can always direct them back to that fatherly figure.
And then as we speak truth over them to say, “May you know that you’re secure in your love of God that He loves you with the height and depth and breadth that only Jesus Christ could give you. And that your sins have been separated from you as far as the East is from the West. That God has great plans for you and may you be confident in your salvation.”
You might want to pray over a son or daughter who’s struggling at school: “Jacob, may you be strong and courageous in the midst temptation and trial. May you know that Jesus is always with you and that He’ll never leave you or forsake you.”
These are the words that speak truth and blessing and goodness into our children, into our friends and into our family members.
And blessings should be generous every day in every way. They shouldn’t be set aside for spiritual moments or times because every moment can be spiritual when we’re blessing each other with goodness and truth.
Ready to help parents create an environment for spiritual growth?
Ready to help parents create an environment for spiritual growth?
