What Is a Blessing?

One of the most important things we can learn about God is how he wants to love us. There are so many ways to love other people from serving them a meal when they are hungry to listening to them talk when they’ve had a hard day. We can talk to them and share our lives so they know they’re not the only ones that feel the way they do. When I think of how God wants to love us I think of one word: Blessing. A blessing is something God gives us or does for us that shows he loves us. Careful though! God also knows what’s best for us... so his idea of a blessing may not match ours. Ever heard the phrase “ask and it shall be given unto you”? Matthew 6:33-34 is a popular verse in the New Testament where Jesus is teaching on how to pray and what to pray for. That’s usually where we stop when it comes to asking. Ever try praying for a Coke machine in your bed room? Or how about a fountain at school that only gives Kool-Aid? I know that sounds far-fetched, but think about the things we sometimes ask of God, and then ask yourself how that would be a blessing. You know, if you only drank Coke and Kool-Aid, you would have terrible stomach problems! And you'd probably have a really hard time sleeping as well as you need to. In other words those things aren’t as good for you as they may taste going down. Just a few paragraphs past Matthew 6:33-34 is Matthew 7:7. Just a few moments after telling us to ask for what we need, Jesus tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God.” When we pray we have to ask God to show us what his idea of a blessing is for our life. Let me give you a simple phrase to remember that you can pray for yourself: a blessing is anything that brings me closer to God. Spend this week praying with that in mind, and let us know what happens!