In His Name Devotionals
BE A “BLESSING,” DAD
In His Name Devotionals
BE A “BLESSING,” DAD
The events of Genesis 27 convey a great lesson to fathers. The lesson is this: It’s important for fathers to bless their children. You can see how important it was to Jacob and Esau when he learned his rightful blessing had been stolen by his brother. His words, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” (vs. 36), touch my heart. It’s crystal clear from the Bible that the “blessing” was of paramount importance.
What about “blessing” today? Is it just as important? Here is a breakdown of the elements of Biblical Blessing as written by Gary Smally and John Trent in their book, The Blessing:
Give meaningful touch—a hug, an arm around the shoulder. Get the idea?
Speak words of Blessing—words are powerful and they are listening. Be positive and encouraging. Express high value—our words should convey that we value them far above the ‘material,’ or the ‘workplace.’ Picture a special future—this is where we verbally visualize their future. Self-fulfilling prophecy. (Example: “I see you as a successful Christian _________”). Our children will live up to or live down to what we are saying about them.
Make an active commitment—this is our commitment to “Be there” every step of the way to that special future we pictured.
Occasionally, someone says, “I don’t have a large ‘quantity’ of time with my kids, but I do have ‘quality’ time with them.” Please don’t buy that lie. There is a quality that comes only through quantity. Also, actions speak louder than words. Our presence at a ball game, graduation, recital, performance, award ceremony, etc. speaks volumes, as does our absence. Don’t make excuses—make it!
Finally, a word to those who haven’t gotten their father’s blessing. If they are living it’s not too late. No matter what has happened, try again. To those who may never get their biological father’s blessing, remember your Heavenly Father understands. He stands ready to bless you beyond measure. The “blessing” is not outside anyone’s reach.
So, to Dads of all ages, have a great day and make someone else’s day great with a blessing.
