Ah!...the sounds of Spring! While we enjoy many things about Spring -
the grass greening, the flowers blooming, the time changing, the earth
warming - we do not really enjoy the sinus attacks that these wonderful
things often bring on. ...and although a really good sneeze feels pretty
good sometimes, after about 17 times in a row you want to be done with
the sneezing! It does usually bring on a hearty (and heart-felt) Bless
you!, but by the 3rd or 4th time you are getting
Blessyoublessyoublessyoublessyou ... to cover the stream of sneezes that
are anticipated! By then too you are wondering if bleary red puffy
eyes, runny nose, sore throat, hoarse voice, coughing (and coughing and
coughing), breathing problems and a trip eventually to the doctor will
soon follow that many sneezes. In fact, I imagine that this is the busy
time for most doctor offices ... only topped probably by the flu and
strep throat season (didn’t we just come out of that?!). But that's
the bad part! Let's just stick with the good part ... the Bless you!
part. To bless ....
bless > verb 1 call on God to protect or treat favorably. 2
consecrate by a religious rite. 3 praise (God). 4 (to be blessed with)
be endowed with or granted (something greatly desired).
There are many explanations for how blessing someone when they sneeze
originated. I have heard that when someone sneezes that it is the
closest we come to death in this life before actual death itself ...
that the heart actually stops ... and thus, blessing someone calls life
back into the body or is a "congratulation" for life starting back up
again. I have also read that it could be a "protective oath" as a means
of either keeping evil spirits out or from coming back in as some have
said that those evil spirits are thrust out with a sneeze. I have also
read that it is associated with having good luck. However, the one I
like the very most is when someone says "Bless you!" and they are
meaning for the Almighty Above to do just that, because we know Who
(with a capital "W") that is associated with! God and God alone! God
bless you! To bless ....
Acrostic:
B - BEGIN ... let's do!
How better to begin than by blessing our Lord
God above! .....
Psalm 103:1 "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me,
bless His holy name."
L - LOVE ... let's do!
How better to bless God AND others than to love
them! .....
Mark 12:30-31 " 'And you shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your
strength.' The second (commandment) is this, 'You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than
these."
E - ENCOURAGE ... let's do!
How better to bless someone than with
encouragement! .....
1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another, and build up
one another, just as you also are doing."
S - SHARE ... let's do!
How better to be blessed ourselves than to
share with others! .....
Luke 6:38 "Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed
down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For
whatever measure you deal out to others, it will be dealt to you in
return."
S - SERVE ... let's do!
How better to bless than to serve another!
.....
Mark 9:35 "And sitting down, He (Jesus) called the twelve and said to
them, 'If any one wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and
servant of all.' "
BLESS! ... you!
In fact, we don't even have to wait until someone
sneezes ... let's just go on and bless them right now!
Amen? Amen and Amen!!
Praying many more blessings your way!
Kelli
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