Crosswords: The Puzzling Power of Words Week 4 Count Your Blessings .10.01.06

Last week of our series Crosswords: The Puzzling Power of Words and we are talking about blessings. So many times we view the glass half empty and forget that there is still half left. There is always positive around us and our lives can feel more positive as soon as we acknowledge that fact. In this week’s lesson we talk about the importance of recognizing and giving our blessings. When we do this we honor God and we show love to our neighbors. When we deny the good in our lives, ignore those around us and refuse to share the good in our lives we only push ourselves away from God and open ourselves to sin. In James 3 we hear of the power of our tongues and how they can drive us in a positive or negative direction.

James 3:3-4 – If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide their whole bodies. It is the same with ships: even though they are so large and driven by fierce winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination wishes.

So in order to steer our lives in a positive direction we must:
1. Thank It
Count your blessings, let God know all that you are thankful for.
– 2626 Blessing expresses the basic movement of Christian prayer: it is an encounter between God and man. In blessing, God’s gift and man’s acceptance of it are united in dialogue with each other. The prayer of blessing is man’s response to God’s gifts: because God blesses, the human heart can in return bless the One who is the source of every blessing.
2. Bless It
Wish others peace, bless one another. When you bless one another you help them know God, you are praying for them, you are showing the God’s love.
– 1671 Among sacramental blessings (of persons, meals, objects, and places) come first. Every blessing praises God and prays for his gifts. In Christ, Christians are blessed by God the Father “with every spiritual blessing.” This is why the Church imparts blessings by invoking the name of Jesus, usually while making the holy sign of the cross of Christ.
– Numbers 6:22-27 – The LORD said to Moses: “Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them: The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace! So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
3. Tell It
Tell everyone about God’s love and plan for them. Tell people about Christ and the holy Spirit. We have been commissioned by Jesus to do so, when we tell others of God then we allow them to find salvation and experience God’s grace.
– Matthew 28:19-20 – Go therefore , and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”