Being a Blessing to Others

Be a Blessing to Others - image of white flowers.

Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.– 1 Peter 3:8-9 KJV

I think one of the greatest things that we, as Christians get to do, is to be a blessing to others. Throughout my life, I have been blessed beyond measure by people around me. I have received love and support when I needed it most. But I think the biggest blessing I’ve ever had, was the blessing that God gave us when He sent his Son.

So, it is for that reason that I believe blessing others is important. Blessing someone doesn’t have to be hard. We can easily bless someone by listening to them, loving them, supporting them and encouraging them. Sometimes it can just by having a lunch with someone to remind them that they matter. Or praying for someone who reaches out. It can be in the form of a note card placed perfectly in view to let someone know that they are loved and thought of, when we notice that they may be struggling. It can look like providing a meal to someone who needs it, even if they are on the street. It can be providing a safe place to stay or watching their little one. It can be helping with a repair or helping with a grocery bill when they fall short. Blessing someone can be anything, but it’s up to us to give back what God has given to us.The key, though, is to do it without expecting anything in return and to do it without broadcasting it. Because then we aren’t doing it for the purpose of serving others, we are doing it for gain. God knows when we bless others and He will bless us in return, but we have to trust that He will take care of that in His time. Blessing others has a strange effect on us, it humbles us in ways that we need to be humbled.

I can recall a moment that hit home for me. The first one, is when my son blessed me, by blessing someone else. My husband, son and I were on a trip for a family funeral. We stopped at a local Dennys for breakfast and as usually we didn’t finish all of our food. I knew if we took the food with us, it would just go to waste and sadly I was prepared to leave the food behind. However, my son spoke up. He said he wanted to ask for a box for the extra food and give it to the homeless man sitting just outside on the corner. My heart jumped for joy. To hear such kindness to come out of my son meant the world to me. Why I didn’t think of it, I don’t know, but my son did. We boxed up our food and my son asked me to go with him. We made our way across the parking lot to the gentleman sitting there holding a sign. My son, the typical shy kid he is, asked me to tell the gentleman. I agreed, smiled at the man and said, “I don’t know if you can eat this or not, but my son wanted you to have the leftover food we couldn’t finish.” The guy looked at us shocked, then looked at my son and said thank you before taking the to go box. That day, my son blessed two people…that man on the corner and me.Blessing others may push us out of our comfort zone sometimes. It may ask us to do something that we don’t normally do. For some its giving someone food, when we would normally leave it behind. For others it may mean praying in the open when we would normally pray behind closed doors. And still for others, it may mean speaking to a room full of people when we aren’t much for public speaking. It can even mean writing a book about our life, that we would rather keep a secret.

Blessing others doesn’t have to be big and extravagant; it just has to give someone else hope, peace and love. When we get the chance to bless others, we should take it. Sometimes, we just can’t and that’s ok too. God knows what we can do, and He isn’t keeping score, but He does take notice.God blessed us once with His Son, it’s our turn as Christians to bless others, no matter who they are. We all need a little hope in our lives, especially right now. We all need a little peace and lots of love. No matter who we are. The next time you are out and about, ask yourself how you can bless someone else today. Before you leave home, ask God to give you the chance to bless someone today. Who knows, maybe you will be that person who gives their leftover food to someone on the street. Or maybe you will be in line behind someone who came up short on their grocery bill. Or maybe someone you know just needs a hug, a note card or to hear that they are seen and loved. However, you end up doing it, trust that God put you there for a reason. Take every chance you can get, do it often, but do it quietly and expect nothing in return. Because while no one else needs to see it, God will see it and He till take notice.

Warmest Blessings,

K. M. Leffler