Julian of Norwich, who lived in England during the 14th century, devoted her life to prayer and her relationship with God. She is credited with this quote: “Blessed to be a blessing.”
She puts a different spin on being blessed by God. We are blessed so that we in turn can be a blessing to others.
So often, we think of blessings in terms of how we have been personally blessed by God, and we have the tendency to connect it with God’s favor. Julian moves beyond this personal perspective to view God’s blessings as an opportunity to share those blessings with others.
God blesses others through the blessings we have received. In a way, we keep those blessings moving forward as we partner with God and share our blessings with others. We do it for the common good instead of for personal gain, worth or recognition.
When I was the chaplain at Woodbury Health Care Center, the owner invited me and my son to join him, along with some of his friends, for a pheasant hunt over in Wisconsin. This was a yearly event to provide a Christmas pheasant dinner for the residents at each of the three facilities that he owned and operated. He did this out of gratitude for the many blessings in his life.
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Jesus told of an impoverished widow who donated her last two coins. She gave what she had, not what she could spare, not what was left over after she met all her expenses. She gave all she had in an act of faith, totally trusting God to provide for her needs (Luke 21:1-4).
One does not need to be rich in order to give and share. Leo Buscaglia said, “Too often we underestimate the power of touch, a smile, a kind word.”
We do not have to have a lot, even a lot of free time, to be a blessing to others. The Lord welcomes what we have, no matter how small, and uses it to be a blessing to others.
Yes indeed, we are blessed to be a blessing. I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving.
