The First Blessing

I once heard a message on the importance of parents giving their children a blessing; not a physical blessing such as a gift but a verbal blessing like th ones found in the Bible. Using the examples of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when they verbally blessed their children this preacher stressed how vital it was to verbally bless your children. You might be thinking that it is not a big deal but do you remember how upset Esau was when he discovered he had been jipped out of his blessing by his twin brother Jacob. He was so distraught that he proclaimed he would kill his brother! 
I must admit that the importance of the blessing has stuck with me ever since I heard this message and just this week God showed me some wonderful news through my quite time. In Genesis one the creation story is unfolding; when I came to verse 28 a phrase stood out to me: "And God blessed them". He has just finished man and the first thing He does to his most precious creation is give bless them. Now to me this was an amazing discovery because it means that I too, as God's child, have been given a blessing from my heavenly Father! As I seek Him daily and walk with Him I can have the assurance that God is pleased with  me. I also noticed that after God blessed His creation He gave them a purpose in the Garden of Eden. God from the very beginning created me with a purpose and blessed me too! I am looking forward to drawing closer to Him this year as I seek His will and fulfill His plan for me all with the knowledge that I have received His blessing!
I pray that this year will be a tremendous spiritual journey for all of you as well and may God continually show you His great love for you!
If you are interested in reading more on the subject of the blessing there is an excellent book on the subject by Gary Smally and John Trent called "The Gift of the Blessing"