A Blessing From Our Father

He’d whispered it in my bones on the way home from the grocery store, my heart heavy with the pain of the world. The grief had steadily built over the last several days, the headlines building on top of one another like Pisa: how long before the whole world just falls over?

That morning I had been thinking about our little tradition as I prepped for my 5 year old’s birthday party. Each year, my girls receive a public blessing from their father. We try to bless our children daily, but on their birthdays we do it in front of people. Their daddy speaks words of life in the midst of witnesses, the friends and family who’ve come to celebrate with us.

And it hit me hard there in the car as I pulled inside our gate, my oldest in the back seat. When the world is in chaos, what we all need, what we’re all really longing for, is a blessing from our Father.

We need a blessing from our Father.

I’m like Jacob though, grabbing after Esau’s heal, running around with goat skin on my arms, thinking I have to convince Him that I deserve His love, that I’m worthy of His blessing. I think I’m trying to convince you too.

How many times have I tried to steal my brother’s blessing so that my Father will see me?

But God isn’t like Isaac, with only a little something left over for Esau. No, our son-ship knows no bounds. We’re all His favorites. And He has words of blessing for us all.

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.’ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:15-16

I remember sitting in my dad’s kitchen almost seven years ago. It was Thanksgiving and everyone had left except for Kevin and I. I needed to process some painful things happening during that time and I begin to pour out my heart to my dad. I was fidgeting and staring at my hands and suddenly said, “Dad, will you just bless me?” And without hesitating my Daddy took me in his arms and said, “Baby, you can have all the blessings you need.”

Three days ago I watched my daughter look timidly into her daddy’s eyes, receive his words, and then throw her arms tight around his neck. How I want this too, down deep in my soul, to see the loving look in Abba’s eyes as He blesses me with His life-giving, truthful words: You are loved. You are cherished. You are not alone. You are not orphaned.

Because the whole world is on fire. Open the newspaper, turn on the computer, and you’ll see it burning, the pain enveloping people like flames. And we need our Dad to give us a blessing so that we can keep going, so that we won’t lose heart.

So if you’re running around in your brother’s clothes thinking you have to be a certain type of son to receive from Him, I can assure that He’s simply wants you just as you are. You can walk into your Father’s tent now and ask Him for a blessing. I know what His answer will be: Baby, you can have all the blessings you need.