Way back in the day, it was not uncommon to help a neighbor with whatever need they might have. When you could use a handshake for an agreement that might be considered a major agreement today. I often admire the Amish because you hear about them doing a barn raising, it seems the whole community pitches in to get that barn up. It is defined as " Barn raising addressed the need by enlisting members of the community, unpaid, to assist in the building of their neighbors' barns. Because each member was entitled to recruit others for help, the favor would eventually return to each participant." Although in the end it states that the favor would return to each participant, how many barns does one need in a lifetime, because barns last for years and years, so you know when this happens, not every participant will necessarily benefit from it in the future and be "paid back", and Id like to think that most of them know that and are participating to just be a blessing, because its the right thing to do.
Have you ever just done something for someone out of love and not looking for something in return? I would like to think that we all have, but it seems to happen less and less. With as many years as I have taught, I see this in schools more and more. Its not uncommon for me to ask students to do something such as, pick up scraps of papers off the floor, help pick up something that was dropped by another student etc... and they want to know what it in it for them, or I hear the famous "I didn't do it". REALLY?! Seriously, we need to get back to helping a neighbor just because they have a need, and extending a hand to help and not looking for a hand out.
In the Bible, Zechariah 8 talks about how we are saved to be a blessing.
Have you ever thought of that? We are saved and expected to be a blessing to others. Unfortunately many think they are doing all they can do to take care of themselves therefore they can't possibly be a blessing to anyone else. This is the wrong way of thinking.....it is in being a blessing that we become blessed, or more blessed.
I am not saying this to build myself up, but one of my favorite things to do is bless someone if I can. I can say that I have been unexpectedly blessed by others many times when the blessing was really really needed. I can think of countless amounts of people who blessed me during the loss of my husband back in 2001. I couldn't even think straight but yet every meal was paid for, or provided, my daughter was taken care of and all bills were paid, and my job at work was covered with lesson plans provided by my coworkers. I think for me it was during that time, after things began to settle down, that I realized the countless amount of people who had blessed me and my family, some I didn't even know from across the world. Not one of them expecting me to "pay them back" but did it because God led them to and they felt it was the right thing to do. Slowly but surely "my barn" was built right before my eyes. I think it was then my heart realized that I wanted to be a blessing, or a popular phrase today is "pay it forward". When Todd died, the church we were part of in Elkhart, Indiana had a cemetery as part of their property and they offered me a plot where Todd could be buried with the agreement that I would later buy it for. The night I finally went in to pay the money, we also had worship team practice. When I arrived I was privately informed that the church board had decided to donate the plot to me rather than me pay for it....another blessing handed to me. I literally had the money in hand but thanked them with tears in my eyes, and placed it in my pocket. Just a few minutes later when we began to pray before practice, I heard about a need of one of our members . Her and her spouse had been laid off from their jobs and they weren't even sure how they were going to buy groceries for their family for this next week. I knew immediately what I was going to do with the money I had in my pocket. I knew what the Lord was asking me to do. I privately approached her after practice and handed her the money and told her that I knew it was meant for her and her family and that the Lord has blessed me, and so it is being passed to you. She was completely speechless but full of tears, knowing what I personally had been walking through in my life. I hugged her and walked away feeling more joy that I had felt in weeks, it was quenching like water in the dry land.
This was a huge moment in my life because I experienced deeply the joy of the Lord in being a blessing. I have actually had other people say to me after blessing someone " well, you only did it do receive joy, so you didn't do it for nothing". Joy is a benefit of being a blessing to anyone, its so thick it feels tangible and its also contagious. Joy is free to us, part of walking with Him, and God wants us to walk in His joy daily...its our strength. When you follow His leading and are obedient to whatever He asks you to do no matter what it is, there is joy involved to be experienced. So call it what you will. God knows your heart when you bless someone and I find that people who are more focused on looking for the negative, need more joy in their life, so go ahead and bless them too. ;)
May I encourage you to also be open to receiving blessings. Its not always easy when someone wants to bless you because somehow the enemy wants us to believe that maybe we "owe that person" or that is makes us look vulnerable. I say "hog wash!" If someone wants to bless you, don't be the one to steal the blessing of joy that they may receive from being a blessing to you.
I want to encourage you today to help someone, it may seem small to you, but to them it will be a great thing and it may change their entire perspective, it may just give them the uplift they so desperately need - you have the power to do that.
God said in Zechariah 8; I will save you, deliver you and bless you so that you can be a blessing...will you do that?
