Be Thou a Blessing

I think it is safe to say that all good men (and women) want to be a blessing to others.  A few days ago, I wrote about the indwelling Spirit of God and the outpoured Spirit.  That is just another way of saying that "good" people -- those who have the indwelling Spirit -- want to be "good" to others; they desire to bestow on others the blessings they themselves have received.  This is what it means to be "like God:" to have His Spirit of love and generosity, to have his desire to bless others, not because they somehow deserve to be blessed, but just because we, like Him, want to share the good with others. 

God said to Abraham:  I will make a great nation of you and will give you blessing and will make your name great.  Be thou a blessing!  I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you.  All the families of the earth will find blessing through you! (Gen. 12:2-3).

Yesterday, I wrote about listening to God and following his directions for our days instead of our own plans.  It takes faith to believe that such a 'plan' will work, when it is so much easier to rely on our own thoughts, ideas, and resources.  That is why Yahweh had to instruct Abraham to leave his kindred and his father's house and go forth to "a land I will show you." 

Once we turn our backs on our own ideas, our own judgments, our own plans, and dedicate ourselves to following God's plan for us, He will make of us a blessing on the earth.  Until then, we are trying to do it our way -- by building a Tower of Babel, so to speak.  The people living in the plains of Shinar had what they believed was the latest technology in brick - making, and with that new development, they believed that they could make a name for themselves by building a tower to the heavens.  It is no accident of Scripture writing that the story of Abraham follows immediately the story of Babel.  Now, the man who listens to God will not make a name for himself, but his name will be great, nevertheless.

In the church of St. Clement of Rome, there is a beautiful statue of Mary, clasping to her breast an open-winged dove.   At her feet is a spring of flowing water -- the baptismal pool.   I love the whole imagery, the whole setting, because I believe it captures without words exactly the process of becoming a 'blessing' to others.  The very first time I saw this statue, I thought to myself, "Spouse of the Holy Spirit."

God wants us to be a blessing on the earth by allowing His Holy Spirit to be wedded to our flesh:  God in man.  He wants us to be like Him, and to allow His Breath/Ruah in us to breathe out upon the world around us.  All fruitfulness on our part comes from the union of God and man -- not from man attempting to be God.  When we embrace the Spirit of God in our flesh, He first begins to renew us, heal our wounds, give us His peace and joy, and restore us to what God had designed us to be.  Then the Spirit in us will flow out to the world around us, blessing all in our path.  We cannot choose how this blessing will occur; we must allow the Spirit in us to direct our paths.

When the Spirit of the Lord 'overshadowed" Mary, the Word of God became flesh in her.  Immediately, "she rose with haste and went into the hill country" in response to the information given to her.  She went to be a blessing to her cousin Elizabeth, who in her advanced age would obviously need assistance in the last months of her pregnancy.  I'm sure Elizabeth overflowed with gratitude that God had sent Mary to help her -- but even more, I'm sure Mary became grateful that the Spirit had revealed her own secret to Elizabeth.  Now the two could share their joy without awkward human explanations of divine mysteries.  Moreover, since Zachariah was the high priest that year, he could have searched the Scriptures for prophecies about both his own son and the promised Messiah.  For 3-4 months, the three of them could have engaged in a shared Scripture study and prayer.

When the Lord bestows on us His indwelling Spirit and gives us direction, He also brings us to a place where we can both be a blessing to others and receive blessing from them, to our mutual joy and peace.  If we want to be a blessing to others, it is necessary that we first receive the Lord's Spirit in our own flesh and let Him direct our paths from that time forward.