"On our farm in the winter, we put the cattle out on the mountains.
Because the landscape is bleak, there is little shelter.
Every so often out there, one notices semicircular walls. The cattle know them well.
These are the "sheltering walls" when winds and storms blow up.
Similarly, when you invoke a blessing, you are creating a "sheltering wall"
of rest and peace around a person."
(John O'Donohue)
We shelter one another with our blessings, which reflect our ultimate blessing from God. We need to remind one another of our blessedness. Henri Nouwen writes, "We need an on-going blessing that allows us to hear in an ever-new way that we belong to a loving God who will never leave us alone, but will remind us always that we are guided by love on every step of our lives...
To give a blessing to another is to affirm, to say "yes" to a person's Belovedness."
What a gift to remind one another of our Belovedness: that we belong in the family of God, and are not alone. We not only bless the other, but we are blessed in return.
Music: "We are not Alone" (Sharon Singers)
Prayer Practice:
While it is always good to bless one another, some people are easier to bless -- like our dearly-loved family and friends. Others are more difficult to bless: the driver honking behind us for going too slow, a cranky cashier, a demanding boss, judgmental in-laws. Blessings can be shared in the presence of another, or across many miles. (and perhaps time?). However and whenever we bless, something is changed.
When a blessing is invoked, it changes the atmosphere... In the light and reverence of blessing, a person or situation becomes illuminated in a completely new way.
In a dead wall, a new window opens,
in dense darkness a path starts to glimmer,
and into a broken heart healing falls like morning dew."
(John O'Donohue)
How might you embrace blessing as a spiritual practice? How could you offer a sheltering wall for another?
Traveling blessings (or we might call them "blessings on-the-go!" ):
You are invited to choose or create a short blessing that you can carry with you for when your heart is drawn to someone who seems to be in pain or suffering, or when someone hurts or offends you (and curses come faster than blessings). This can be a "traveling blessing" for when you are driving, or walking through a store, and notice someone you feel drawn to bless. This is something you and God can do silently together -- traveling and blessing! Or perhaps you can say a blessing aloud when appropriate; my husband often ends an encounter with a salesperson with "God bless you." They usually seem surprised but also delighted.
Below are a few blessings that I have been drawn to recently. You could choose a phrase or word that feels aligned to what you want to offer. But feel free to create your own!
from John O'Donohue (To Bless the Space Between Us):
May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven
around the heart of wonder.
May all that is unlived in you
blossom into a future
graced with love.
from Jan Richardson (The Sanctuary of Women):
The light of Christ to illumine you,
the fire of God to warm you,
the brilliance of God to wake you
in mind and ear and eye.
Before you, beside you, behind you,
may Christ our Light
attend your way.
May you move through this day
with eyes open to the God
who shines like the sun
within and around you.
Throughout this day
may you know the breath of God
breathing in you.
May you go in the company
of God who makes
a way for you.
Peace in the longing,
Peace in the leaving,
peace in the letting go.
In every step, peace.
from St. Paul in his letters:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace.
(Romans 15:13)
May you be anchored in love.
(Ephesians 3:17b)
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ.
(Philippians 4:7)
Resources:
Nouwen, Henri, Life of the Beloved, Crossroad Publishing, New York, NY, 1992.
O'Donohue, John, To Bless the Space Between Us, Doubleday Books, New York, NY, 2008.
Richardson, Jan, The Sanctuary of Women, Upper Room Books, Nashville, TN, 2010.
You both know my love of nature and animals. And, although I find putting sheep on a mountain without shelter in the winter to be rather heartless, I love your message of a sheltering wall! It will remind me to be more aware of people around me who so need a blessing. Everyone needs a sheltering wall at one time or another! Blessings to both of you!!
I wrote a comment after reading this devotion but it didn't show up. I'm waiting to see if this shows up before I write more.
traveling blessings...this helped to put words to what I often experience, now I can embrace this and open to more blessing-giving. The song is beautiful!