“Daddy, teach me something!”

My kids have a great thirst for knowledge. The only problem is that I’m fairly sure they’ll discover the limits of my own knowledge pretty soon! (My 11-year old daughter is getting close with some of the Maths homework she brings home.)

Recently, my children and I were talking about the things that I’ve taught them over the years. They were partly mocking some of the nonsense I come out with from time to time and partly expressing amazement at discovering that their old man sometimes comes out with stuff worth knowing!

Somehow, we got on to the topic of “Life Lessons”, which my eldest daughter bizarrely described as “What I would say if a journalist asked me, after you’d died, ‘What lessons did your dad teach you?’”

As you’d expect, it took me a while to come up with an answer. In fact, I think I ended up only giving one “lesson” that day. I gave a new answer, on average, every 2 months.

Life Lesson #1 : Blessed to Be a Blessing

My first answer was straight out of my religious background. (The phrase is inspired by the story of the calling of Abram/Abraham in Genesis 12.) Though I might not give the story the significance I once did, I still think that the phrase captures something really beautiful.

You are Blessed

How would we change if we took the time, each day, to remind ourselves that we have been blessed. I don’t necessarily mean in a religious sense (i.e. by ‘God’), but if that works for you, go for it. I simply mean recognising the countless gifts that are given to us, undeserved, each day.

Everyone’s list will vary, but I’m guessing yours would look something like this:

Sunlight, fresh air, birds singing, family, friends, clean drinking water…

The trouble is, when we’re really not in a Think Happy kind of place, we easily lose sight of these basic blessings. So, here’s a useful exercise to develop those gratitude muscles:

List 10 Negative Blessings in Your Life

Think of 10 negatives in your life, that – with a little imagination – can be seen as blessings and received gratefully. I can’t remember where I first came across this, but I can still remember items from that first list, that now regularly find a place in mine:

1. The spot I find at the far side of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking.
2. The taxes I pay, because it means that I am employed.
3. The lady behind me in church who sings off key, because it means I can hear.
4. Clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat.
5. A lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home.
6. For all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means that we have freedom of speech.
7. My huge heating bill, because it means I am warm.
8. The pile of laundry and ironing, because it means I have clothes to wear.
9. For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I have been capable of working hard.
10. The alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, because it means that I am alive.

To Be a Blessing

But, it doesn’t stop there. As far as I understand things, the purpose of receiving a blessing is to be a blessing. The whole point is to pass it on; keep it flowing. A pipe that is blocked, negates its very existince. More to the point, it soon becomes stale and smelly!

I could say loads more about this – it’s a bit of a hobby horse of mine – but I’m sure you get the point. After all, you’ve all seen Pay it Forward, right?

The really great thing about this, is that it never stops. You see, it turns out that Jesus was right. It really is more blessed to give than receive. So, as we “pay it forward”, we get the joy and thrill of blessing others. On top of that, it’ll likely come back your way again before you know it. Can you imagine how exciting and fulfilling it is to live like that? Or, even more, to be part of a family/network/community that keeps the blessings flowing?

What about You?

That was my first lesson, in answer to my daughter’s unusual question, but I’m interested in how you would have responded. What life lessons have you passed on? What would be on your list?