“Blessed people flourish by a power that transcends human talent or hard work. They have a mystical grace at work in their hearts that makes them effective and joyful. . . . they’re confident of their value and sure they can make a difference in the world. That’s why blessed people bless people.”- Alan Wright
In the foreword to Alan Wright’s latest book, The Power to Bless: How to Speak Life and Empower the People You Love, Gary Chapman observes the following. For most of us in the Western world, blessing other people flies under our radar. Furthermore, blessing involves much more than empathy. Yet, we find the concept of giving a verbal blessing deeply embedded in Scripture.
Hence, in the Introduction (“The Blessing I Never Knew”), Pastor Wright describes two approaches to blessing. When you strive, you try hard to succeed so you’ll feel blessed. However, you thrive when you try hard to succeed because you already feel blessed. Above all, these two aspects of blessing represent the difference between death and life.
For most his life, Alan labored to buy blessing. But, it cost him joy and peace. And he found trying to prove his worth quite tiring. Most significantly, Alan asserts, we crave blessing because God designed us that way. Pastor Wright explains:
“Everyone needs to be blessed. Without blessing, we will have no deep security and feel no release from past failures. Unblessed, we’ll never be as fruitful as God has planned, and we won’t walk fully in the favor of God.”
In conclusion, Alan cites Dallas Willard’s definition of blessing. Writing in Living in Christ’s Presence: Final Words on heaven and the Kingdom of God, Dallas defines blessing as “the projection of good into the life of another. It isn’t just words. It’s the actual putting forth of your will for the good of another person.”
The power of blessing connects with the deeper, eternal treasures of God’s grace.
Today’s question: What blessed people bestow blessing on you? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Thrive in the power of His blessing”
