Blessed to Be a Blessing

In all the crazy chaos of mothering three children, I try my best to tell my kids regularly, "we are blessed to be a blessing."  We have read that together as a family in Genesis chapter 12, when God makes a covenant with Abraham:

"And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing."  --Genesis 12:2

When I say this to my kids, I am trying to impress upon them that we are not given educational opportunities, salaries, a house, cars, clothes, toys, etc, just to sit on it and enjoy it all for ourselves.  No, we are called as Christians to use it, give it, share it, and always hold it with an open hand, to be used by the Lord as He sees fit.

Ann Voskamp eloquently states this truth like this: "a gift never ceases to be a gift."

As I make my way through her One Thousand Gifts Study Guide this week, I run across the following analogy, for a third time in my Christian walk, so perhaps this time it will stick as I reflect upon it in a fresh way...

You see, there are two bodies of water located in the nation of Israel, but they are very different.

One is the Dead Sea--the deepest, most hypersaline body of water in the world.  In fact, it is over nine times saltier than the ocean! This extreme salinity kills off plants and animals and cannot support life (hence its name).  The Dead Sea receives water from the Jordan River, but it does not flow out.

The Dead Sea (photo source livescience.com)

By contrast, the Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake that is constantly fed by underwater springs and the Jordan River, which flows through it from north to south.  It supplies fresh water to irrigate the surrounding land and supports fish and a myriad of other plants and animals.

Sea of Galilee (photo source youtube.com)

So, my question for you--for me--is which body of water depicts us best?  Are we like the Dead Sea, receiving and taking from God and others, content to sit on it all and stagnate?  Or are we like the Sea of Galilee, receiving and giving in turn, being a blessing to those around us and supporting life?

I pray the Lord would be faithful to show us which one we are, and the strength to repent and change as He sees fit!  May we truly live in light of the truth that we are blessed to be a blessing!