Father's Blessing

Friends,

My good friend Matt, who i have found more and more to be much wiser than i, practices something, every night, with his kids. He has a son, Braxton, who is three and a half, and he has a daughter, Sadie, about eighteen months, and he is an amazing father. But it is what he does, every night, that struck as truly a loving, caring, fatherly duty. Every night, after reading to his kids, after praying with his kids, he blesses them. He blesses them.

What does it mean to bless someone? It is not the obligatory, "Bless You," after someone sneezes, though that is important. No. To bless someone requires something from the Divine, and the Bible is full of Jewish blessings that have been passed on from generation to generation. And now Matt gives one of these blessings, whatever he finds in the Bible, to his children. Over the last week, i have implemented the same practice for Daniel. Every night, after reading, praying, and before we rock, i say to him, "May God's face shine upon you and give you peace..."

It feel amazing to look into my son's eyes and say those powerful words to him. I am giving him something beyond praying for him. I am inviting God's presence to rest upon him and overwhelm him in peace. This is a good thing folks. And after reading Genesis 48, i realize it is more than a good thing, it is a fatherly duty to bless his children.

Jacob, not Joseph, after adopting Manasseh and Ephraim, blesses them, and he blesses Joseph too. And as the patriarch of the family, as the holder of God's promise to Abraham and Isaac, Jacob's blessings carry a lot of weight. It is as if God were speaking through Jacob and affirming the blessing being bestowed upon Jacob's sons. And when i think hard about this, one clear powerful thought comes to mind. God is there. God is in that blessing, just as God is in every blessing. Why?

Because God loves to bless his children. More than that, God understands that to be a good father/parent, He must continually offer his blessing upon His children. It is a parental duty to shower our children with blessings, and God wants to continue to prove His worth as the greatest parent ever.

So now i offer you all a challenge. When was the last time you thumbed through the Scriptures to find a blessing that you could speak to a friend, a spouse, or even a son or daughter? If you haven't done it in a while, return to the practice. Because to bless someone enables the blesser to feel God's blessing all the more. And if you have never spoken a blessing to someone, try it. You will find a lot of peace and love and awe in the blessing you share.

Sunday is Father's Day, so dads lets return to our title as spiritual leaders in our families. Lets return to our job to bless our families and our children. And lets lead by example, so that a new generation of Jesus followers will experience the love of God through the love of their earthly fathers. We, dads, have been absent long enough. Its time to reclaim our role, and what a role it is. Amen.

Salaam, Shalom, Peace,

jerry, or as Daniel says, "my daddy, my daddy"