What Does It Mean to Be a People of Blessing?
A Soul Matters facilitator once shared, “I guess after plan A fails, I need to remember
there's still a whole alphabet out there.”
It’s not just our friend who needs help remembering that there’s a whole alphabet out
there; it’s all of us. We all get stuck in wanting things a certain way. We all, at times,
focus so intently on the few things going wrong that we completely miss the dozens of
things going right. Tunnel vision too often takes over our days.
For Unitarian Universalists, this is the central tragedy of the human condition. We
respect those who frame the human problem as sin or twisted wills, but it’s
nearsightedness that our religion is most worried about. Which is also why blessings are
so central to our faith. They are, for us, a way of widening our view.
Unlike some of our brother and sister religions, we don’t say a lot of blessings. Instead
we point to them. For us, blessings are not something we give to each other as much as
they involve us helping each other notice all that’s already been given to us. And it’s not
just about widening our view to see the gifts themselves; it’s about widening our
understanding of life. Pointing to blessings repairs our relationship with life, allowing
us to see it as generous not threatening, full of grace-filled surprises not dominated by a
cold indifference.
And there’s a lot at stake when it comes to this wider view. When the world seems
stingy to us, we are stingy to others. Those who feel blessed have little trouble passing
blessings on. Our tradition takes this calculus seriously. As UU minister, Rev. Don
Wheat, puts it “The religious person is a grateful person, and the grateful person
is the generous person.” In short, by noticing our blessings, we become a blessing.
So, this month the question in front of all of us is not simply “Do you notice the blessings
surrounding you?” It’s also, “How are the blessings in your life leading you to bless
others?” That “whole alphabet” out there doesn’t just happen on its own; we add to it.
Blessings don’t just fill us up; they cause us to overflow. Life spills into us and we spill
into others. In other words, blessings don’t just enrich us; they connect us. And maybe
that is the greatest blessing of all.
~ Soul Matters Sharing Circle
A Soul Matters facilitator once shared, “I guess after plan A fails, I need to remember
there's still a whole alphabet out there.”
It’s not just our friend who needs help remembering that there’s a whole alphabet out
there; it’s all of us. We all get stuck in wanting things a certain way. We all, at times,
focus so intently on the few things going wrong that we completely miss the dozens of
things going right. Tunnel vision too often takes over our days.
For Unitarian Universalists, this is the central tragedy of the human condition. We
respect those who frame the human problem as sin or twisted wills, but it’s
nearsightedness that our religion is most worried about. Which is also why blessings are
so central to our faith. They are, for us, a way of widening our view.
Unlike some of our brother and sister religions, we don’t say a lot of blessings. Instead
we point to them. For us, blessings are not something we give to each other as much as
they involve us helping each other notice all that’s already been given to us. And it’s not
just about widening our view to see the gifts themselves; it’s about widening our
understanding of life. Pointing to blessings repairs our relationship with life, allowing
us to see it as generous not threatening, full of grace-filled surprises not dominated by a
cold indifference.
And there’s a lot at stake when it comes to this wider view. When the world seems
stingy to us, we are stingy to others. Those who feel blessed have little trouble passing
blessings on. Our tradition takes this calculus seriously. As UU minister, Rev. Don
Wheat, puts it “The religious person is a grateful person, and the grateful person
is the generous person.” In short, by noticing our blessings, we become a blessing.
So, this month the question in front of all of us is not simply “Do you notice the blessings
surrounding you?” It’s also, “How are the blessings in your life leading you to bless
others?” That “whole alphabet” out there doesn’t just happen on its own; we add to it.
Blessings don’t just fill us up; they cause us to overflow. Life spills into us and we spill
into others. In other words, blessings don’t just enrich us; they connect us. And maybe
that is the greatest blessing of all.
~ Soul Matters Sharing Circle
