Shattered dreams, unwanted circumstances, miscarriage, death--life altering events that threaten to shake my soul. I certainly didn't ask for these things to happen, but they do. We live in a broken world that constantly affects us, sometimes in painful and discouraging ways.
But it isn't just the big life challenges that shake me. The mundane, messy moments of day-to-day life seem to all too easily rob me of a steady soul.
Like the other night, when my 14 month old decided to act like a one week old baby and woke up every hour, wanting nothing to do with her bed and everything to do with being held by her mother.
And my four and five year old girls who bicker, quarrel, and speak unkind words to each other all.day.long.
Laundry piles up, sleep deprivation wears me thin, crumbs lie scattered on the floor regardless of how often I vacuum, the car won't work right, I get stuck in the rain with my four small children and no umbrella, people disappoint me, and what is my response? I'd like to say that my soul follows that of the psalmist's:
"Bless the LORD, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name." Psalm 103:1
But as I take inventory of my heart, I realize that my soul doesn't always respond to the Lord with blessing.
I want it to.
To bless the Lord. With every part of me. And do it over and over again. No matter what.
So, I started asking myself some questions:
- What does it mean to bless the Lord?
- How do I bless with all that is within me?
- Why should I bless the Lord?
- What if I don't feel like He is blessing me?
- What is hindering me from blessing Him?
- Does blessing the Lord relate to blessing others, even my enemies?
Through the month of October I'm going to make an effort to answer some of these questions. I won't pretend to be a biblical scholar; the idea of blessing in Scripture goes far beyond my theological understanding. However, I do hope to uncover some of the ways my life can bless--the Lord and others.
God has filled me with blessings, yes (we'll talk about some of those), but in Christ, I've also been filled with His Spirit. My soul has been filled, shouldn't it pour out of its fullness?
The dictionary definition of pour is: to flow rapidly in a steady stream.
Maybe one of my jobs as a follower of Christ is to steadily and rapidly pour blessing upon God.
And, then to pour it out to others.
This month I'm inviting you to join me as I seek to answer what it looks like to live a life of blessing.
I read your posts yesterday and today, and I just wanted to assure you that are a blessing! I admire you greatly. Keep sharing. You're such an encouragement and challenge to me.
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