All these are the twelve tribes of Israel,
and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them,
giving each the blessing appropriate to him.
Genesis 49:28
The 27 verses just prior to this one record Jacob’s blessings spoken over his twelve sons. The summary in verse 28 prompts several observations regarding the Old Testament tradition of blessing:
- The blessing is given from a parent to a child.
- The blessing is spoken aloud.
- The blessing is tailored uniquely to each child.
The old “sticks and stones” adage really isn’t true. Words can hurt. They carry a great deal of weight. They stick with us. But the opposite is also true: their weightiness can bring profound blessing to the recipient.
Each of us can most likely recall and replay a scene from our childhood when a parent affirmed, encouraged, or blessed us for a job we did well or a sacrifice we made, or maybe just reassured us of their love. An ordinary tool, a certain smell, the taste of a special dessert, or even the process of packing for a trip can transport us back to a place in time to re-experience anew the blessing.
Are you and I intentionally releasing blessing upon our children? Is it something that even occurs to us? It may or may not come naturally. The example of our parents may or may not impact us. Sometimes we follow the example of our own mom and dad, whether good or bad, and sometimes we choose to intentionally live out our own parenting responsibilities quite differently.
As you pray and ponder blessing your 3, 13, or even 30-year-old, keep in mind that the praise must be genuine. Children can sniff out manufactured praise and call our motives into question. Even good intentions can’t justify contrived commendation.
Also, keep it special by keeping it somewhat rare. We all recall that scene in The Incredibles when Syndrome sneered, “When everyone’s super, no one will be.” If every statement is a blessing, then none stand out as remarkable and memorable. But at the same time, don’t save up all those words of blessing for high school graduation day either. Release them. Don’t hold them in.
The mom of a friend of mine once chastised her daughter for telling her own (then) 5-year-old daughter she was beautiful. Grandma warned, “You’ll make her vain!” But Mom went ahead, releasing blessing anyway, and that little girl grew up to be a beautiful woman and mom herself. She and her husband even served on the mission field for several years. Who knows but that those words of blessing bolstered her confidence to answer God’s call?
As recipients of God’s blessings, we have the joy of releasing blessing to our children. We want them to acknowledge and appreciate that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights…” James 1:17
Ultimately, our blessings have little to do with what we do, but stem from who we know. Our identity in Christ is our eternal blessing. We joyfully and freely receive, so we can joyfully and freely give.
Would you make some time this week to ask God for words to bless your children, whatever their age? Ask Him for insight into their unique spiritual DNA, their love language, and what makes each tick. Allow His revelation to prompt the release of spoken words of blessing that will be treasured and remembered.
Lord, bless us and make us a blessing as we release blessing to our children.
This week, the ladies Bible study group took a break, but Laura has recorded a bonus teaching video. In our latest video, Laura returns to the tragic story of Joash, who escaped the murderous plot of his grandmother to become king of Judah at age 7. II Kings and II Chronicles tell the story of his efforts to repair and restore the temple … but when his mentor (and surrogate father) passed away, Joash rebelled against God and abandoned his faith.
We invite you to take a few moments to consider the important truths we can learn from this life that started with such promise and ended in tragedy.
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