How to Be a Blessing

In our race to get through this life with some sense of dignity and decorum, it’s good to offer up some degree of appreciation for this life and do something good for someone. My favorite folks who have inspired me to join their ranks and support their ministries are my acts of kindness superheroes.

These unsung heroes of making the world a better place one random act of kindness at a time are changing the landscape of humanity and encouraging others to reassess their harsh opinions about our world gone sideways, in a time when there’s little goodness to be found. It helps reinvigorate or ideas maybe there’s hope for us to reach higher and spread a little cheer.

A random act of kindness endears us to our fellow man and makes us believe the world could be a better place. And it’s contagious. Once we’ve been the recipient of a random act of kindness, a desire starts to well up within us, to do something nice for someone else, unexpectedly, in effect paying it forward.

When you’re active in the flow of kindness, even though you may not see the results, everything is connected to everything else, as your simple act of kindness spreads throughout the world virally.

It was a wonderful experience for me to be the recipient of a random act of kindness from a man who paid for my gas at the service station. I had been exercising and promoting random acts of kindness for a while, and though it feels good to surprise someone with something good, unexpectedly, I was beginning to wonder if I needed to step up my game somehow? It was if God was saying, “You’re doing a good thing. Keep doing it. It’s working.” Mike had no idea how inspirational his simple act of kindness was.

So, if you’re practicing random acts of kindness, don’t stop. Keep doing it. You are doing good work and making a difference.

Still, I am challenged to step up my game. I want to be a blessing to others.

How to Be a Blessing

Being a blessing is so much more than a random act of kindness. A blessing is a premeditated, intentional and personal act of love.

Unlike random acts of kindness, blessing someone (even though, a simple act of kindness can also be a blessing) with forethought is more difficult. It takes a bit more effort on the person giving the blessing and has a greater impact on the person (or persons) receiving the blessing.

For instance, my neighbor has been intentionally blessing local disadvantaged children for years. This is his ministry. He encourages his friends and others in the community to join him in helping needy kids with school supplies, backpacks, winter coats, and summer camp sponsorships.

On the surface, haters might think, “Oh, my church does that,” or, “There are already support services for kids in need,” so why duplicate something that someone else is doing?

The difference is, Joe, my neighbor does this from his heart. He is not a faceless organization. He knows every contributor and every recipient. It’s not like dumping a bunch of school supplies on the schoolyard and allowing the kids to scramble for what they want (as if dispensed by an exploding piñata).

No, Joe meets with every child and personally dispenses what they need face to face (it’s also no surprise that he dresses up as Santa Claus and blesses children during the holidays). This is his answering his calling to bless children. Not just children in general, but specific children.

His little service of being a blessing has grown from reaching out to the kids in our local grade school to now blessing thousands of children every year throughout the county.

Yes, Joe is rewarded with every child’s happy tear of gratitude. It’s the best heart medicine of all.

Of course, you don’t have to go full-out, like Joe, you can just think about ways you can step up your game, by tweaking your random acts of kindness and moving to the next level by discovering how to be a blessing to others.

7 Steps to Be a Blessing to Others

To be a blessing to others, your blessing should have some elements, such as,

1. Start with the Heart

A blessing originates in your heart. The basis of a blessing must be motivated by your intention and/or ability to love and express that love in an outpouring benevolent display from your heart to the heart of another.

2. Specificity

A blessing is a specific act, service, or gift that matches the particular needs of a person at just the right time. This is why blessings bestowed by one person to another are often thought of as an answer to prayer, or confused as an angelic intervention.

3. Awareness

It will take some effort on your part to be aware of the opportunities which exist around you to be a blessing to someone. You must be alert to the needs of others who are in need in your circle of influence. As you increase your awareness, you will raise your ability to intuitively identify people who might be in need.

4. Invest

Their need may be apparent, or you might have to work at uncovering the details, and determining if you’re in a position to help. You may need to investigate and get to know this person better, to better help them, matching your blessing to his/her/their need.

5. Intention to Bless

When you offer your blessing (act, service, or gift) you have the full intention of blessing that person. In that moment, your efforts are infused with blessings from above, as you are benevolently acting as a good and faithful servant and compassionate fellow human being, with your heart fully engaged.

6. Personal

Bestowing a blessing on someone is not a faceless act. It is a premeditated, intentional and personal act of love. It should be delivered face to face, hand to hand, eye to eye and sealed with a touch. A hand touching a shoulder or a handshake will suffice but don’t be surprised if you receive a greater sign of gratitude, or no sign of gratitude at all.

7. Free

How to be a blessing to someone in need includes no requirement for acknowledgment, repayment, or even encouragement to have them conduct an act of kindness for someone else. Your blessing is truly a free gift and comes without any strings attached, much like an angelic intervention.

That’s how to be a blessing like an angel, and in a way, you are an angel among angels doing the good work in your human form.

May you be blessed as you bless others.

And you will.

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