God promised Abraham that he would be blessed and that he would be a blessing. In the Old Testament up until Abraham, if you did what God directed you to do you would be blessed. Starting from Abraham going forward, if you do what God directs you to do you have the promise that you will be blessed and be a blessing. So this was a divine addendum, a new thing for Abraham and for us as members of the community of faith.
Most of my professional relationships and colleagues are pastors or Christian therapists. At different times we have shared with each other, that although we approach our work and life in different ways and offer a variety of opportunities within the community of faith there is one common denominator, we just want to make a difference. Although, most of us agree we have fallen short, the little we have done is so fulfilling.
Now sometimes we don’t seem so blessed. We are experiencing difficulties of our own. We must remember that God’s blessings unfold over a lifetime. They are mostly incremental and rarely instant. The blessing of God is not a place, it is a journey. So even when we are experiencing difficulties of our own, we can find fulfillment in reaching out to others in their time of need. I have known many wonderful Christians who are, or have struggled with relationships, finances, staying healthy, career or work challenges and a host of other problems who have found a way to be a blessing to those who know them. Life did not always go well for Abraham either, yet he was always a blessing to those around him.
Reaching outside of ourselves is the best part of our Christian experience. Jesus shared with us in the Gospels it is better to give than to receive.
Joseph C. Hutchison, Rochester Hills, Michigan 202
Please Give Notice to Publish or Use at jchutchison@msn.com
