Be a Blessing

A couple of weekends ago my hubby and I spent two days in a nearby city for the annual local homeschooling convention. It happened to be the same weekend as an annual town-wide yard-sale I've been going to for a number of years so I was a little torn, thinking of all the treasures I would never discover. Well, I ended up bringing home treasures of another kind.

This was our second year attending the convention and it has been so encouraging for us as we begin this journey. Basically its two days full of various seminars and workshops and you pick which ones seem most applicable or interesting to you. Then of course, there's the main hall with almost every homeschool-related vendor known to man.

One session that my hubby and I sat in together on was presented by Dr. Jeff Myers of Summit Ministries. He talked about raising your kids with a mindset of cultivating them verses manufacturing them.

Within that talk he shared a list of 11 ways you can be a blessing to your children with your words. Really, you can be a blessing in these ways to just about anyone. I found myself quickly jotting down the notes so that I could review this for myself often. And last night I happen to be reviewing those notes and thought - these are worth sharing! So here it goes:

BE A BLESSING

1. LISTEN. "Tell me what's important to you."

2. GIVE A BLESSING. "You have the gift of ______."

3. AFFIRM. "Here's something about you that makes a great deal of difference to me..."

4. BE TRANSPARENT. "I'm sorry. I made a mistake."

5. PRAY. "I don't know what to do either. Let's pray and ask for God's help and wisdom."

6. ENCOURAGE. "I know its tough but I believe you can do it."

7. TEACH. "May I share a verse that's imporant to me? Here it is, I wrote it on a card for you."

8. SPONSOR. "I know someone who can help you. Let me connect you to them."

9. ADMONISH. "You were running a good race. Who or what cut in on you?"

10. LOVE. "No matter what, I will love you and be here for you."

11. WALK ALONGSIDE. "Let's go together. Wherever I go, I'd like for you to come with me."

These are invalueable treasures that you can impart to someone that will have ETERNAL value. The Bible says that life and death are in the power of the tongue. (Proverbs 8:21) You can bless others with your mouth in ways that will water their soul, shed warmth and light on their heart, and fertilize their mind.

Who will you cultivate with live-giving words today?  In which of those ways will you be a blessing?