by Warren Baldwin

I met a young girl in counseling one time who had given up on life. She came from a home where there was constant drug and alcohol abuse. She was teased because she studied hard in school so she could get ahead and make something of her life. But she, too, became caught up in the negative cycles of her family. She went to the counseling center to get some help and get her life back on track.

Questions would go through my mind when meeting someone like this teenager. How can I help her? How can I reach her? How can I show her that God loves her and wants her? How do I show that to people?

I believe God wants to bless all people. I believe he wants to bless that teenage girl. I believe he wants to bless the children who go to bed at night hungry. I believe he wants to bless you and me.

And one important thing to remember is that God blesses people through people. He is not limited to this approach. God can reach out and enrich our lives in any way he wants to. But over and over, especially in the Bible, we see that God blesses the lives of people through the lives of other people.

Abraham's Calling

In Genesis 12:1-3 God called Abraham to come be his follower. God told him, "I will make your name great. I will give you many descendants, and the land you are standing on will be yours and your families'."

Yes, God would bless Abraham. Abraham would become a wealthy and powerful man. But there is more to this story, more to the relationship of God and Abraham.

God told Abraham that he would use him to bless all people. After God shared great wealth and blessing with him, it then became Abraham's responsibility to bless the lives of others. The blessings he received from God were not just for him to enjoy. They were for Abraham to pass on to others.

A Tough Lesson

That's a tough lesson. What God has given me is not really all for me. It is for me to share with others who are in need.

Maybe you've heard the story of two friends who were walking along. One guy asked, "Bob, if you had two million dollars, would you share one million with me." Bob answered, "What kind of a friend do you think I am? Of course if I had two million dollars I would share a million with you." "The friend said, "Bob, thanks, you are such a great friend. And you know I don't have a house. But if you had two houses, would you give me one?" Bob, "Man, what would I need with two houses? You know that if I had two houses I'd give you one of them." Hey, thanks Bob, you are a good friend. Just one more question ... if you had two cars ..." Right then Bob cut him off and said, "Hey, hold it right there now ... you know I have two cars."

Bob was willing to imagine what it would be like to be a blessing to the lives of others. But he wasn't willing to really be a blessing.

To be blessing to the lives of others means we give of ourselves. We give up some of our stuff. We think about the needs of others. Isn't that what Jesus did on the cross? Isn't that what a mother does at 2 a.m. when she gets up with a sick child? God is blessing someone through someone else. That has always been God's way, and it still is.

Think how our world could be changed if people went to school or went to work every morning with the thought in their hearts and minds, "How can God use me to bless the lives of those around me today?"