"BLESSING ONE ANOTHER AMONG SIBLINGS," what does that look like?
How do we make this a reality in our imperfect home? It's going to take two episodes to share my answers with you. This is part one. Oh! This episode also talks about IDENTIFYING GOD's WILL FOR OUR OWN LIFE and OUR KIDS LIVES!
This is the THIRD topic in the series on THE HABIT OF BEING A BLESSING.
The FIRST topic was VOLUNTEERING with guest Debbie Smith here to talk about family volunteering in episode 101. CLICK HERE to listen 101.
In episode102, Becca Hammond was our guest to talk about the benefits of incorporating HOSPITALITY into your busy family life - and how to do it SIMPLY. CLICK HERE to listen to 102.
WHAT is the Habit of Being a Blessing and WHY is it so important for our kids?
The lifestyle of being a blessing is the perfect vehicle to take our children to a life of COMPASSION, EMPATHY, ATTENTIVENESS TO OTHERS NEEDS, The ABILITY TO SPEAK BOTH HUMBLY & CONFIDENTLY AT THE SAME TIME to ALL PEOPLE – no matter their age, race, socio-economic status, or anything else.
When we give our kids the wonderful gift of a Lifestyle of Being a Blessing to others, it insulates our kids from self-centeredness...
✔When someone is thinking only of themselves, they are more quick to be frustrated with how others are not meeting their needs and it fosters resentment and discontent, grumbling, and malice.
✔Self-centeredness is a thief – self-centeredness steals contentment, it steals healthy relationships, it steals the opportunity to experience the joy of giving a compliment or the joy of meeting someone’s needs.
✔Self-centeredness, while it steals a great deal from one’s life, it also delivers things we are better off without! Self-centeredness results in constantly looking through the lens of comparison and the comparison usually leads to discouragement. And often, discouragement leads to inactivity, and inactivity sometimes is the cause of depression.
We were created to do the active work of blessing others and when we do not do what we were created to do, it affects us mentally, emotionally, physically, and of course spiritually.
In contrast, BEING A BLESSING IS ONE OF THE MOST HEALING ACTIVITIES IN ALL THE WORLD!
✔It heals our own perspective and mood.
✔It heals our hope in ourselves, in others, and in the world.
✔Being a blessing heals relationships because it heals the heart of both the giver and the receiver.
✔Being a blessing spreads joy and energy and motivation.
✔It perpetuates goodness within and kindness without.
Being a BLESSING is one of the most sure-fire ways to improve emotional and psychological health because we were created to function best as blessing givers!
When someone comes to me and asks, "How can I know God’s will for the next step in my life?" – maybe it’s a teen trying to figure out what career they want to have, or maybe it’s a parent trying to hear God’s voice regarding where they should move or what school option they should take for their kids - here’s a simple truth I share with them regarding finding God’s will: GOD WANTS YOU TO FOLLOW HIS WILL ON THE GENERAL THINGS OF LIFE FIRST BEFORE HE SHOWS YOU HIS WILL FOR THE BIG THINGS. That is one of His life systems that he has created. He created scientific laws such as gravity. He also created a system regarding where as we are faithful with A LITTLE THEN HE WILL GIVE US MORE AND IF WE’RE FAITHFUL WITH MORE, He will give us even more. We see this throughout scripture, but Jesus even share’s a parable like this. Called the parable of the talents, which you can read about in Matthew 25.
My point is this, If you want to know God’s will for your life, start with His daily will for your life – start with the little things of being a blessing to those around you.. 2 Tim 2:10 “You are God’s artwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works that He prepared in advance for you to do.” Being a blessing is God’s DESIGN and WILL FOR ALL PEOPLE EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIFE.
If you want your kids to feel significant, they need to be doing the significant work of being a blessing each day.
If you want your kids to be motivated to discover the cure for cancer, they need to feel compassion for those who have it.
If you want them to become a great doctor or lawyer or police officer or hairstylist – no matter what profession, they will be most truly successful at it when they use that profession as their vehicle for being a blessing.
And this begins, right now, in your home, every day, all day long with all the little opportunities to be a blessing to one another.
And the cool thing about God’s design for life is that as we bless others, God says we will receive blessing in return. That’s the glorious world He made...
If we want to receive we need to give.
If we want to be first, we need to be last.
If we want to be strong, we need to accept our weakness.
If we want to be comforted, we must comfort others.
And we have a daily practice ground for our kids right in our very home as they learn to be a blessing to their own siblings and to you as parents.
I can hear you saying. "Val, how do we make that happen? Sure that sounds like a fine theory and, yes, of course I want my kids to be a blessing to one another, but come on, let’s get real here. My kids are selfish and rude and..."
Well, it begins with three things from you, mama... And you'll hear about those three things in this week's podcast, part one of Being a Blessing Among Siblings.
1. MODEL mutual respect, consideration, and love.
2. In your parenting, use words that are framing everything in the context of "being a blessing.'
3. Be unbending in BLESSING as the standard of actions and attitudes.
In the episode you will hear me explain how that plays out in my home. And we just scratch the surface in part one, so be sure to return for part two next week where I really get to the nuts and bolts of being a blessing among siblings!
Christ modeled "being a blessing" for all of us. He said that He came that we might have life more abundantly. He died so we could live. He sacrificed heaven for himself temporarily so we could have heaven eternally. He leads the way in being a blessing!
What is coming in future episodes to wrap up SEASON TWO:
*The final series of SEASON TWO is called INGREDIENTS for LAUNCHING OUR KIDS FROM THE NEST - what do they need most.
*Season Two will end with a BLOOPERS episode hosted by Abby & Emma.
