Caring Wellಮಾದರಿ

Blessed to Be a Blessing

According to Ephesians 1:3, New Living Translation, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.”

To bless someone is to speak well of them. God blesses us by speaking His favor and love upon us. Too many people associate God’s blessings only with material things. In their estimation, people are blessed because they have wealth and status, drive a nice car, or live in luxury.

According to Ephesians 1:3, God has blessed us with spiritual blessings. In other words, God pronounces blessings upon us from His heavenly storehouse. The term heavenly realm refers to the place where God dwells and Christ is exalted. It reminds us, as believers, that we exist in two realms. The earthly realm is the material world that we physically live in, and wherein we see, touch, taste, hear, and smell with our five senses. Yet because we are “in Christ,” we also coexist, or walk by faith, in the spiritual realm. Ephesians 2:6 tells us we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realm. These spiritual blessings shape our character, order our relationships, and enable us to live purposefully.

Spiritual blessings are all the divine gifts and privileges we can access because of our union with Christ and His Spirit. We read in Ephesians 1:4–8 that these blessings include, but are not limited to, our being chosen, adopted, redeemed, and forgiven.

Privileges come with being God’s adopted ones. For instance, our worship and prayer enable us to spend time in God’s presence, where the Spirit produces fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). We likewise bless our loved ones as they experience the Spirit’s fruit when they interact with us. We are forgiven, and we, likewise, forgive. We are given access to the Spirit’s wisdom, so we act wisely.

The real blessing for us, especially in this season of care­giving, is that God has given us the needed spiritual resources to live out our lives and fulfill our tasks and assignments.

That is the core of caregiving: blessing our loved ones through the blessings bestowed upon us. We choose to love the ones we care for because God has chosen to love us and has given us the capacity to choose love over hurt or resentment.

We are blessed so that we might be a blessing to others.

Dear God of all spiritual blessings, thank you for bestowing blessings upon me so that I may share these blessings with the ones I love. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Reflection:

Think of the spiritual blessings mentioned above. Which ones were you particularly aware of experiencing and sharing today? How might you become more aware of sharing these spiritual blessings with others?

*This devotion is taken from Jeanne Porter King’s book Caring Well: 90 Self-Care Devotions for the African American Caregiver.