Blessed to be a Blessing, Cursed to be a Curse

You can be an Atheist all you really like,
But will that help you to be kind?
Will you be blessed in being a blessing,

Or are you relationally blind?
Those who hate God,
Find it hard to love,
They cannot see benefit in blessing,

They can’t see how love’s from above.

Hurt people hurt people,

Cursing procures cursing,

If only we can see with our own two eyes,

Love’s the matter of heavenly rehearsing.

***

Blessing and cursing are matters of life and death. When we choose to cut someone off, or turn a blind eye upon someone who could do with our help, we choose what is not only not good for them, but it’s no good for us, either. We are bringers of death. But when we do something that costs us nothing apart from bending our back a little both of us receive something of kindness. We are bringers of life.

Kindness costs nothing in the overall scheme of things; it delivers inherent benefit:

“... be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.”

— Ephesians 4:32 (NRSV)

The key to wisdom in life is kindness; to find it within ourselves to forgive a human being for being a human being.

Whenever we connect that the Christian faith is all about blessing others, we finally understand that the Christian faith – properly practiced – is the way to a pleasant life where anger, greed, lust, and pride need not reign anymore.

The Christian faith is centrally about the teachings of Jesus regarding how we are to relate with our world. It is never acceptable for a Christian to hate other people, or to be inconsiderate and disrespectful. And as soon as the Christian applies what Jesus teaches they are blessed in being the blessing that God wills them to be. They are happy and content; joy and peace are theirs; they have achieved the objective, which is to put others first so God can bless them in being a blessing.

It’s appropriate to feel good when we have blessed someone, but we are to leave it at that; to just enjoy the feeling and not talk about it.

What is the point of walking around angry all the time? What is the point in never being happy because our goalposts keep moving; because we never have quite enough money? What is the point in striving for position, because sooner or later we will end up disappointed?

Why do we choose a moment’s death instead of a moment’s life?

The Christian life is the best life because we strive to be a blessing. Being a blessing produces joyous happiness. But the angry life is a dead end; it harms others and it harms us.

© 2014 S. J. Wickham.