Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Blessings Touched

August 19, 2015

Sometimes I think we underestimate the power of a blessing. This morning I finished reading Genesis once more. In the 48th chapter Joseph brings his sons Ephraim and Manasseh to be blessed by his father Jacob, the sly old fox. Decades before, Jacob had cheated his brother out of his birthright, gaining the double inheritance that by rights should have gone to his older brother. Now he's nearly blind, but he sees more than eyes alone can discern. Manasseh and Ephraim face him, the former on the left, the latter on the right so that Manasseh as the eldest can receive the blessing of Jacob's right hand. Jacob however, crosses his arms, laying his right hand on Ephraim and his left on Manasseh. Joseph tries to correct him, but Jacob is resolute, giving the greater blessing to the younger.

To Western Christians this seems an odd story, quaint, but without significance for us. After all, does it really make a difference which hand is laid on the kid's head? And do the words of a blessing actually make any real difference? All of our scientific and rationalistic mindset says no, but what if we're wrong? We know that words matter. Bright talented children raised by critical, negative parents tend to internalize the criticism they receive, while even the most ordinary child raised by parents who encourage and praise tends to exceed the predictions of the "experts." And we know that what we do with our bodies affects the whole person. If I slouch in prayer, my prayers become somewhat slovenly. The Biblical posture is either standing or kneeling (except for perhaps Jonah in the belly of the whale) for a reason. It's easier to be focused in those positions. If I sit and close my eyes, I fall asleep.

All this I ponder as four grandchildren slumber downstairs. We pray with them and we bless them, but I suspect I need to give more thought and prayer to those blessings if I want them to be more than words. And laying my hands on them while I bless them is more than a formality. If a husband and wife cannot make love without touching, what makes us think the blessing of God is disembodied? A blessing after all, is love spoken; should it not also be love touching?

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