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As parents, we desperately want our kids to be happy and safe from harm.
Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to guarantee those things happen. They will face trials and troubles, and we do not control their life or their destiny. Our role is to do what we can to prepare them for real life while understanding that will include some pain.
Recently, my older son was facing some tough times, and I felt a strong desire to do something demonstrative and powerful to encourage him. It finally hit me: I should give him my blessing.
Reasons for Blessing Our Kids
What does blessing our kids mean? In the Bible, when a person is blessed, it is a sign of God’s grace and presence, an assurance this person has a valuable role in God’s plans for the world.
Dr. John Trent and Dr. Gary Smalley outlined the biblical steps for blessing our kids in their book The Blessing. As described in Scripture, the process includes meaningful touch, a spoken message, and an active and ongoing commitment. And it seeks to convey two main points to them:
- Attaching high value to the one being blessed.
- Picturing a special future for him or her.
As parents, it is our mission to care for and train up our children spiritually, emotionally, and personally. Blessing our kids is a powerful tool to do just that, and we can use it to help them:
- Establish healthy feelings of self-worth and emotional well-being.
- Increase their own personal faith as we strongly profess our own.
- Develop a hardy resilience for trials and issues they will face.
- Become all they can be and fulfill their God-given potential.
There was another reason I wanted to bless my son, one more important than the others. Because he was facing some tough times, I was worried, and I longed for his well-being. Therefore, I did what any parent could do: I called on the supernatural power of the Creator of the Universe to be there for him.
I wanted to do whatever I could to help my son, and I knew I couldn’t handle that by myself. Only by passing on a blessing from God could I help him the most. So I wrote one that represented how God blesses us, and I spoke it to him as sincerely as I was able …
A Blessing for My Son
Son, I give you my blessing,
You have great value.
You are a blessing to me. You are my son, and you will always have a special place in my heart. I am very happy to be your father, and I thank God for that honor and privilege.
You have wonderful gifts. You have unique talents that set you apart from everyone else on earth. God has done a good work in you, so be comfortable with who you are.
You are a good man. I know your heart, and you are a good person. I respect the man you have become and bless you on your journey to be all that God has designed you to be.
I love you. I love you intensely, exactly as you are. There is nothing that can ever separate you from my love, now and forever, and that is a promise.
I am proud of you. I am very proud of you, exactly as you are. I mean that deeply and sincerely. I am pleased to have people know that you are my son.
Twice, God spoke audibly about how he felt about his Son. I feel that same way about you, and I would like to speak those words into your heart and into your life:
“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)
You have a wonderful future.
You are well-designed. You are (his full name), and you are extraordinarily designed for your life calling. Your capabilities and possibilities go far beyond anything you can envision now.
There is a plan for you. God has given you these gifts for specific purposes he has in mind for you. There is meaning and significance in who you are and what you will do with your life.
I bless you with protection. There will always be circumstances that make life seem hard. Satan will whisper his lies of anxiety, insecurity, and hopelessness. But, in the name of Jesus Christ, I bless you with protection, and I call on our all-mighty God to safeguard you.
I bless you with hope. You can be certain that God has a good life in mind for you. Your past is forgotten, you have a wonderful future, and the promise of eternity is the greatest hope of all.
I bless you with faith. God loves you deeply, and you can always be 100% sure he will be there for you. May the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, be with you always.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Son, this is my heart-felt blessing to you. Love now and always,
Dad
Question: Are you willing to do what you can for your kids spiritually, emotionally, and personally?
Action: If blessing our kids seems hard, start by telling them you love them and are proud of them.
