By Steven Norris
“Bless you!” I hear it all the time. Typically, it follows one of my daily sneezing fits. Occasionally, it comes from a sweet old lady for whom I’ve been holding the door. Sporadically, it comes in response to some other form of goodwill offered to a neighbor in need.
What does it really mean to bless another person? Frederick Buechner writes, “In the biblical sense, if you give me your blessing, you irreversibly convey into my life not just something of the beneficent power and vitality of who you are, but something also of the life-giving power of God, in whose name the blessing is given.” It is in that spirit, that I offer this blessing for the year ahead.
As December surrenders to the marching beat of time and January opens to you fresh with possibility, may you sense the Spirit’s presence joining you each step of the journey.
In 2025, may your crow’s feet increase as laughter and smiles become your default setting this year. May you awaken to the joy of God’s presence and the blessing of eternal life that constantly surrounds you. (“The Joy of the Lord is my strength.” Nehemiah 8:10)
May you experience hoarseness of voice this year as you expend every once of energy cheering on those you love. Cheer for their success. Cheer for them to get back up after falling. Cheer for every inch of progress they make. (“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
May you be blessed with tear-stained cheeks as you weep in empathy with those who experience brokenness of body, mind, and spirit. (“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15)
May you know the blessing of anger in the face of injustice and oppression and may it propel you to act on their behalf. (“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” Isaiah 1:17)
May you be blessed with sore muscles for having worked to serve your neighbor. (“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45)
May you be blessed with blistered feet from having carried the good news to every corner of our community. (“How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:15)
May you be blessed with empty pockets as generosity rules your heart and priorities people over stuff. (“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7)
May you be blessed with thick skin that insulate you from the barbs of critics who don’t understand the “Jesus Way” that you follow. Remember that you have an audience of one. (“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Colossians 3:23)
In all things, may you know the joy of God’s love showering on you, flowing through you, and inhabiting every word that you speak. Amen.