Giving and Not Being Depleted

"The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26

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What if I practiced this blessing in every one of my relationships? What if I repeated it over and over again? What if I wrote it to others, and myself, over and over again? As I spend time with friends, family, co-workers, and all those I encounter going about my day, what if I started my conversations with it, and also ended them with it? Dwight L. Moody said "it would never be impoverished."

The thought occurred to me as I was pondering these words of this fourteenth century hymn "The Lord Bless You and Keep You," that when my words and deeds show that I care, when I give from the fullness with which others have blessed me, and when I am careful to listen from the heart, over and over again, I am not depleted but I am blessed. Honestly though, many are the times I get side-tracked by over-extending myself, not taking proper care of myself, getting careless in my time with God, and "doing battle" in the workplace or at home.

So, today I am reminded again to "get up", get going, and be faithful to the journey. Won't you join me, and we can sing praises to our God for his faithfulness, even at those re-occurring and frustrating times we don't sense his nearness?

Ever onward...ever upward...