I don’t know if Josh — my 14 year old son —  realizes it or not…but tonight was a powerful night for him.  He got blessed.  Jeremiah and Calvary’s youth staff gathered the 8th graders and their families to celebrate their journey from middle school to high school.  We had fantastic food, a dance -sorta- revue…and then an opportunity for our sons and daughters to hear a blessing that we — the parents — had written for them.

We miss it — the power of a blessing, but read through the Bible  and you can’t help but wonder, “what’s up with this blessing stuff?”  Father’s blessing sons and daughters.  God blessing people.  Brothers stealing blessings.  In fact there is a supernatural side to the blessing.  But we often miss it.  We miss the power of words, the power of affirmation, the power of calling out the good we see, the power of speaking God’s favor.

But we didn’t miss it tonight.  Thanks to Jeremiah and the youth staff, we took an evening and blessed our kids — not so much kids, but still our sons and daughters.  My heart was grabbed almost as much as I listened to the blessings that other parents wrote…good stuff.

Here is the blessing we wrote for Josh.

Josh, in the name of Jesus, we bless you. We bless you with all the promises and dreams that God has in his heart for you.

We bless your ears to hear words spoken in truth with grace, the life-giving words of scripture, and the voice of Jesus calling you to follow him.

We bless your heart to be tender, and filled with courage, the courage to care deeply for the kids in Myanmar, and people around the world, who need to know how much Jesus loves them.

We bless your mind and your mouth, to bring joy and laughter to people. To ask questions that other people might not ask, to see things in new ways, that others might not see. We bless your curiousity.

We bless your competitive spirit to excell in ways that help others win, ways that help others become better because you are on their team.

You bring laughter to our lives. You have a tender heart; that cares about others. You have a mind that loves to ask
questions. You are courageous in your generosity. We love these things about you and ask God to open the windows of
heaven to bless you as you seek to become who He has created you to be.

Have you blessed your son or daughter lately?