Wednesday, June 1, 2011

A Blessing for my Children


Isaac Blessing Jacob, Govert Flinck, 1638


Early in the Bible we are confronted with sibling rivalry, parental partiality, deception and dishonesty - an ancient soap opera. Indeed, the Bible is relevant!

I’m referring to Genesis 27 where Jacob schemes against his brother Esau to obtain their father’s blessing:

May God give you of Heaven’s dew and Earth’s bounty of grain and wine. May peoples serve you and nations honor you.

My children haven’t been conspiring for my blessing, but their well-being is a recurring motivation for prayer. In the Mormon church, the “patriarchal blessing” is a tradition of considerable significance. And this story prompted me to pen a blessing for my children:

May you be always in God’s company...through faith in Jesus and the Holy Spirit’s presence.

May you find your soulmate...and a lifetime of mutual devotion.

May you have children to love and nurture...building a family with strong bonds of love and support.

May you have passion for your faith, family, work and community.

May God bless you with good health and a long life.

Father, I offer this blessing and prayer for my children. Amen.