Be Blessed

There is a man who works in my favorite residential dining hall who teaches me the same life lesson every time I see him.

This life lesson is simple but powerful, and it's got me thinking lately.

Every time I come into the dining hall and whenever I walk out after my meal, this young man says the same thing to me: "have a good day, ma'am, and be blessed."

Now, what so perplexes me about what he says lies within the second half of his response. Every time, without fail, he says "be blessed".

He says this to every student without knowing who they are or what they're planning to do that day. He says this statement without any foreknowledge of the students' faith or what they may be struggling with. He does not need any of that information.

I may be over-thinking this (which, you know, I do from time to time, hence the blog), but I really think his greeting and farewell are a great example of how we should view God's desire to bless us. "Being blessed" requires nothing on our own part, nothing of our own human strength. "Being blessed" is the equivalent of receiving blessing, not working for it. It means to stand with outstretched arms in the presence of our Father and say "Thank You" rather than "what do I need to do to get You to give me stuff?" No, this simple phrase "be blessed" is just another way of saying "look around you! Look at everything He's given you. And He ain't done yet."

This, to me, is just beautiful: God gives me the words of this young man every lunchtime to remind me that He is never far and never unwilling to bless. I am reminded of Ephesians 1:3-4 when I hear these unfailing words:

"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. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes."

So be blessed. Don't try, just open your eyes and see. Just bask in it. It truly is a life-changing realization.