The Blessing

The Concept//

blessings

#blessed #blessup #blessingsuponblessings #toblessedtobestressed #blessings .......

Hashtags. Got to love them.

They keep us up to date on the the latest and greatest of what’s trending, not to mention that there is a whole generation that uses them in their everyday language! Have you heard these phrases around? Seen them on social media, written on t-shirts, popping up in memes and in the language of the millenials?

A blessing is typically thought of as a religious word, but pop culture has adopted it, and it's made its way out of church circles and into everyday language. I believe it's a universal desire that everyone longs for and was made for, to be blessed. Even if they don’t realize it!

The blessing was created by God, specifically for the human heart...to speak life, confirm identity, illuminate promise and show God’s protection or favor on our lives. In the blessing lies power. The power to show value and create a culture of honor.

A blessing is a pretty wonderful thing.

The Design//

giving & getting

God loves kids.

I believe that with all my heart and have been an advocate for kids all my life. I have always held kids at a high value, and this has sometimes led to placing more value on them over other ages. But, I heard God speak to me at a conference for kids’ ministry a number of years ago, and I felt like He said..

“Kids are not more important than adults. I value all ages. It’s just that sometimes kids have been marginalized and devalued. I want to raise them up so that all ages will have the same value.”

My eyes were opened to seeing the value in all the generations, young and old coming together for the purpose of more fully representing the family He wants us to be. When we do this we are richer together, and we are able express God’s love in a more complete way.

Young and old alike, we all need blessing in our lives to be healthy and whole. A blessing can come in many different forms and from many different ages, and it’s just as important to give a blessing as it is to get one. We all want to hear that we are accepted and loved. Not receiving a blessing can turn into a curse. We.all need blessings to become healthy and whole.

Here are some ways found in the bible that God shows us how to release blessing in people's lives:

Meaningful touch -This is important to the emotional health of a person. Jesus modeled this when parents brought their children to Jesus so that he could bless them.

He “took the children into his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.” Mark 10:13

You never outgrow the need for meaningful touch in your life!

Spoken Word -speaking words of encouragement or speaking words of potential.

Bless gifts and talents we see in each other, so that they are used more! Words can shape a pe rson's life. Jesus speaks potential over Peter in Matt. 16:18, “And I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” He wanted Peter to know that his spiritual understanding of who Jesus is was a gift. Even his name was prophetic of the work God would do through Peter and impact future generations!

Be present and aware in your everyday interactions with people. Ask God to show you when and how to bless those around you. It just might be the thing they needed to hear at that moment to keep going, press into a dream, or feel loved.

The Gold //

believe the best

Choosing to believe the best. Calling out potential. And, looking for the good.

When we speak kindly about each other, and choose to believe the best, we offer the blessing of protection to one another. When we choose to ask questions about a situation we don’t understand rather than judging someone, we are choosing to protect each other. The blessing of protection is a gift we can give to one another.

Calling out potential in someone can be hard sometimes!! To see their potential or to see the gifts that God has put in them takes relationship. It takes being present and becoming a “student” of the person you want to bless. What do I know about my children, my family, my friends? What do they dream about? Or what they believe God wants them to do to impact their world? By your words and actions show that you support them in what they believe is important.

Look for the good in people, dig out the gold, and call out their gifts. Take time to encourage them to step up and grow into the gifts God has placed inside them.

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I want to leave you with a spoken blessing. Take a moment to relax and breath deeply. Let the words reach down into your heart.

May you know...

You have been called out of darkness and into light, fully illuminated and a child born of God... completely out of the reach of the evil one. Stronger and greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

May you know…

You have the mind of Christ. The kind of mind that houses a peace that passes all understanding. You have received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, the eyes of your understanding have been enlightened to the wonder of knowing that He is alive in you.

And, may you know…

that you are living in a love that has been given with His whole heart. No strings attached. It’s a love that covers all. All sin, all death, all sickness, all disease. Lacking nothing and nothing withheld.

He supplies all you need.

Xx Becky

Becky Olmstead