To Bless

God bless you!

Are those empty words rolling off dismissive lips or are they heartfelt expressions of prayer and giving?

What does it mean "to bless?"

How do we bless?

Here is an acronym for what it might mean for us to bless others; BLESS

B = Being. We first bless by being who and what we are. It is our lives that must be channels of blessing as we are authentic, vulnerable, and transparent.

L = Living Out. We bless others by living out our lives, living out-loud, living in love, and letting who we are find expression in our actions toward others.

E = Expressing. We can bless others by how we communicate with them, verbally and non-verbally. Expressions of grace, mercy, love, and peace can encourage and uplift if that is our intention.

S = Salt. Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth." For these purposes, that is the stewardship of our positive influence in the world. That is what Joseph exercised in Egypt and it resulted in a nation being saved from and through famine.

S = Sharing. We bless by what and how we give as we use our resources for the good of others.

So, the call to bless is a call to authentic being, good deeds, gracious communication, positive influence, and generous giving.
What a difference those five things could make in our communities!