“May God bless your from Zion,
and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.”
Psalm 128:5
Often on the trail this past week I would stop and talk a minute with those who passed by. “Safe journey” would be the short blessing as we headed off in opposite directions to climb more rock outcroppings and search for toe holds while descending boulders.
This psalm is also a blessing, but not for a hiker. I imagine it as a toast made at a farmer’s wedding in ancient Israel: that you eat the fruit of your labor, that you be prosperous, that you have lots of children at your table (and your wife is a fruitful vine), that your country (specifically Jerusalem territory) lives in peace, and that you see your grandchildren. The problem is that this psalm links all these “blessings” to a person’s following God’s ways.
But that’s not how it works. I know people who wished they had children, but were unable or whose children have died. (Not mention most women today do not want to be known as a “fruitful vine,” but rather to be known for their gifts and who they are as people.) Whether or not one loves God has little to do with whether one’s country is in a time of peace or war. Poverty or prosperity is no respecter of faith. Instead we find that blessings have more to do with God’s grace than any merit of our own, and that blessings grow in the ways we share of ourselves regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves.
Nevertheless this psalm is a blessing and we all long for blessings of hope for our futures. Blessings have their place in life’s transitions and challenges. Blessings invoke the presence of God and acknowledge God’s guidance in the uncertainty of the next step. Sometimes I pick up John O’Donohue’s book, “To Bless the Space Between Us.” He writes that the beauty of a blessing is to call the wholeness found in God upon a person now, that blessings can open a window in a wall. What a gift, then, it is to invoke a blessing upon those we love. And what a mystery that Jesus invited us also to bless our enemies. I suspect the act of doing so releases a new wholeness within us as well.
So here is my invitation to you today. Ask God to bring to mind a person who needs a blessing: perhaps a person facing a serious illness, a friend who is lonely, a child that is born, someone who is moving—there are so many opportunities to offer a blessing. Then take a few minutes to write down a blessing for that person. You might share that blessing with them via text, phone call, email or a snail mail card. It only becomes a blessing when they hear it from you.
Today I am writing a blessing for the parents of two young children:
May your children bring you laughter today.
May you discover something new about the world through their eyes.
May you have the opportunity to hold them in your arms,
and may they hear words of love from your lips.
May you have wisdom to understand the needs and fears
they cannot verbalize to you.
May you be granted patience when they stretch limits,
and may you respect the glimpses of yourself that you see in your child.
May you honor the day’s tears, celebrate the day’s goodness,
and cherish the day’s time with one another.
May your last words be those of thanksgiving,
knowing that you yourself are a child in the care of your heavenly Parent.
Suggestions:
1. Read the whole Psalm 128 and then write a blessing for someone you know.
3. Or comment with a photo of your own that is a window of this psalm’s meaning for you.
The next post will be on Psalm 129.
Starting January 1, 2016, for 150 days I am posting a daily psalm verse with a photo that is a visual meditation on the text for me. Each day a verse from the next psalm is chosen until all 150 psalms have been featured. To participate you may subscribe to my blog at https://elainedent.net or “friend” me on Facebook and watch for the daily links to blog posts. Disclaimer: I am not a photographer and most of the photos are from a cell phone or small camera while hiking the Appalachian Trail or the C&O Canal/Great Allegheny Passage Trail.
Patty Steinacker Wachter says
Welcome back. May your words continue to make us pause and reflect
Teresa Irvin says
“Safe Journey” not only on the Nature paths we embark upon, but also the journey God has in mind for us that we are powerless to deter from. May we always have the exceedingly great faith needed and the spiritual gift to arouse those we meet on God’s path pleasing God and given God’s blessings. Teresa