One Sunday morning our Pastor Dan requested that we greet our pew neighbors by saying, “I bless you in the name of the Lord.” He then suggested we might want to consider doing the same outside of the sanctuary. For some reason that stuck with me and as I pondered the response one would receive from that utterance I began thinking of what an attitude adjuster that would be. What if instead of muttering unkind things under our breath when being treated poorly by another we would whisper, “I bless you in the name of the Lord.” I actually placed a post it note on the dashboard of my vehicle with those words to alter my reaction toward rude, selfish, and inconsiderate drivers. Now I will honestly admit that I still have quite a way to go in making that the first thing that pops into my head under those circumstances.  

But I am seriously striving to get there. Perhaps those individuals are truly in desperate need of God’s blessing and that explains the road rage and abhorrent behaviors. Hopefully my blessing will penetrate their lives. Whether aloud or silently if we made a practice of using this phrase as an automatic part of our greeting and/or attitude when interacting with others, it would certainly go a long way toward making life a much more pleasant experience for all concerned. 

Following are a few examples from Scripture of this greeting being put into practice.

Numbers 6:24 (a): These were the words God instructed Moses to say to the Israelites “The Lord bess you and keep you;” 

Psalm 118:26 (b) says: “…from the house of the Lord we bless you.”

Ruth 3:10: Boaz said to Ruth, “The Lord bless you my daughter…”

And speaking of blessing people—several weeks ago I celebrated my birthday. A very dear friend had a surprise party for me—and yes it was truly a total surprise. The outpouring of love from so many friends and family was overwhelming which caused me to ponder how bleak life would be without these wonderful people. And how thankful and grateful I am for their presence in my world—the joy of good friends and loving family. I am so very blessed.

My thoughts then turned to how we all need to take time to express our feelings of love and appreciation and thereby bless others. Remember your friends’ and loved one’s special days—birthdays, anniversaries, milestones celebrated. Do not be a victim of thinking these days are not important—they are to all of us. Even the people who say it is no big deal, believe me it is a huge big deal.  

It is so totally, extremely, urgently important that we stay close to our friends and family and never allow silly, foolish things to penetrate these relationships in any way.  Friendships and family are the golden thread in the fabric of life.  We need to strive to strengthen that hallowed thread and we are indeed foolish if we allow it to be pulled or broken.

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(Lonetta is available for speaking engagements throughout the United States. If you are looking for a dynamic, soul stirring, challenging, and engaging presentation for an upcoming Christian event you will not be disappointed. Please contact her through this site or on my website.)