Blessed to Bless Others

Does God want to bless His people? Yes. But why? So that we can bless others. It starts in Abram’s calling in Genesis 12: “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. … all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” I recently heard a sermon by John Ortberg on this passage, and I was captivated by a story he quoted from the San Francisco Chronicle. The subject of the story is Linda Wilson-Allen, a city of San Francisco bus driver.  Wilson-Allen greets her regular passengers by name. She has been known to wait a few extra second if one of them isn’t at the bus stop on time, help elderly passengers with their bags, and give directions to visitors. Once she even invited a newcomer to the city to her home for Thanksgiving. In return, passengers love Wilson-Allen. Some will allow other buses to go past so that they can ride on her bus. Passengers have given her gifts, taken her to lunch on her break, and even offered her the use of their vacation homes. The article says, “Her mood is set at 2:30 a.m. when she gets down on her knees to pray for 30 minutes.” It’s clear that her attitude on the job flows directly our of her relationship with God. When I think about what it means to bless another person, I often think about the things that can be done by people who have power and/or wealth. I don’t think of bus drivers. This story turns my thinking upside down. It shows that anyone can be a blessing to others. It shows that doing so is a spiritual act that flows from the grateful heart of a person who has been blessed. It challenges me to be much more conscious of my ability to be a blessing, and to use that ability. So how are you blessing others? How are you blessing the random strangers who cross your path during the day? And just as importantly, how are you blessing the staff members that with for you? It’s not just a good thing to do – it’s God’s instruction to all those that He blesses. It’s easy to receive my blogs by email. Just sign-up on Feedburner by clicking here.  ]]>