2025-04-03 A Meditation on Blessing

“12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. 14 I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” (1 John 2:12-14 ESV)

Limber and ready, standing at the beck and call, some of the immediate training day reinforcements of our faith, these beckon us to be a people of Blessing. It was no methodical plan nor deductive steps that made out of sinners a people who Bless: rather, somehow and in some way our inner dynamo landed right-side-up in the Blessing column. We died to self. We had a hair-raising Encounter, existential, suddenly found on all sides, relevant and pertinent to those negative thoughts, to those which are the opposite of Blessing.

For he, she, is a meeker sort of warrior, ever since giving her or his life to Christ. He, she, is a plain Juice and Milky result, resolve, to allow a glistening sheen called Blessing to occupy their personal perimeter, their outward demeanor. The prayer warrior is not saying, “Make me a better person, a certain kind of soul according to my own imaginations”, but “Woe be to me a sinner”. And the woes spoken of, these are a “dying to self”, a fulcrum engaged but without any preferential or coveted Outcome on “the other side”: we don’t know how God will revive us post-mortem, or what His plans are for our simple frame called Living.

Only that the one weary from a day of self-giving, of that tireless, exhausting, habit called Blessing, is deserving of some rest. Only see that the Presence is called upon even late into the resting hours of the day. Somehow we went from a people obtuse and unpopular, to being the life of the party… that is, to being in Demand. We are in Demand as prayer warriors who have learned the role, not of flattery, not of sickly coveting of the affections of others, but who Give, who Bless, who Hear and Respond: all this is life eternal, life of imminent Importance, life not just a predictable swaying in the wind, but catch-what-may All-In Decisive Needs Met.

The Christian Mission, then, is to be aware that we were virginal for a season past, only then resumed the curse words or rather—since those in themselves may be gracious—the frustrated gossip and blame-game towards others and selfish talk. Somehow, were we once upon a time free of this game? Indeed, God has promised to each of us a Holier Walk, a Conversion Experience, a Resolve with a promise: never shall I bore of you, never be exasperated by your deeds even your sins, never forgetting the Sanctity of your Life, as a Blessed son, daughter. And you can take your time, or may hurry up: it is up to you. Learn the deepest brand of self-Confidence, being that which was bought at a price. Bought with the blood of the son, the daughter, on His Cross. To afford that educational environs and patient timing, for it finally to be accepted and allowed, that God is for us, that we are Free in our mortal Frame to Decide and Plan and Deduce. To fight, and all the collateral educational missteps or progresses, all these par for the course because a deeper verdict was in force: that we are Beloved and Licensed, to Act, to Deduce, to Plan. And all this, in God’s predetermined Plan: to make of us Agents in His Choreographed Dance, yet somehow still Free to be elated in our own role played. We contributed. We earned the day, no predictable swaying in the wind, but decisive and important Deeds, Fight, Pluck and Adversarial ways that meet sin head-on.