“Sara, you’re beautiful and smart… and you have Jesus in your heart! Now go be the light of the world!”
Those are words I say to my daughter as she heads off to school each morning. Usually, she smiles at me and says, “Mom, you always say that!”
She’s right… I do.
Why?
Because I am speaking a blessing into her life. Words are so powerful and when we speak truth and life into our kids, it helps set them up for success.
I wonder… do you bless your children?
I’m not talking about those simple words you mutter after they sneeze. I’m talking about speaking out blessings over your kids.
Do you do that?
By definition, a blessing is the infusion of something with holiness, divine will, or one’s hope or approval. So when we speak out a blessing for our kids, we are speaking out our hope for their lives as well as endowing God’s love, power and grace into them.
Why is it important to say these blessings out loud to them?
- Because we love our children and want them to know we desire the best for them.
- Because words are powerful both for the one who speaks them and the one who receives them.
- Because doing so helps convince our kids that God cares and loves them, is present for them, and has a divine purpose for their lives.
- Because our words can override the voice of the accuser.
- Because God calls us to do it. (Matthew 12:36, Proverbs 18:21)
Saying a blessing… out loud… empowers our children to step into their calling. It releases a tidal wave of favor on them. This intentional act has the power to transform their lives and set them on the right path.
My husband wrote a blessing specific for each of our kids. Each night as we tuck them into bed, he speaks this blessing over them.
They love it.
So much so, they have it memorized and correct him if he messes up.
No matter how young or old your children are, you can bless them with your words. You can bless them in the crib or bless them when they bring their families to visit you at Christmas.
As their parent, your words are powerful regardless of their age.
Here’s your game plan:
- Ask God to give you the exact words to share with each of your children. Seek Him before you commit a word on paper.
- Once you have a clear direction, write or type out their blessings.
- Find time each day to speak it over them. It might be on your drive to school, at bedtime, or at the dinner table.
To get an idea of what a blessing could look like, here’s an example of one you might write for your daughter:
Sara, I bless your life as I know you will become a wonderful woman of God. I bless your mind to remain sound and for you to have wisdom and discernment in all decisions. I bless your body to remain pure until marriage and to be healthy and strong. I bless your hands and feet to do the work that God has ordained for you to do. I bless your mouth where words of truth and encouragement will flow. I bless your heart to remain loyal to God’s will for your life. I bless your husband-to-be and your future children’s lives with richness and unity. I love everything about you, Sara, and I am proud to be your mother. You bless our family and your friends in so many ways.
You have a responsibility and a privilege to speak words of life and truth into your kids. And because the world can be cruel, their thirsty spirits need that encouragement daily.
Friends… as long as there is breath in your lungs, be intentional in blessing your children.
©2015 Carey Scott
Wonderfully beautiful Carey! Thank you for sharing your words of wisdom on blessing our children!
Mary, thank you for stopping by! I hope you’re doing well, girl!
This is a wonderful read, like to speak blessing durning my time of prayer when they are sleeping (goingo there there room and laying hands on them), my goal is to speak to them out loud before they go to school. You are so right our children do need to hear this from us no matter the situation. Again great read and a reminder for what we need to do for our childrens future. Setting them up for greatness is our only option.
God bless you
Melissa, I love that you pray over them while they are sleeping. That is wise! There are some things I pray over my kids during the night, too…. things they don’t necessarily need to hear. You ARE setting your kids up for greatness!
I plead the Blood of Jesus over my entire family.I have told my Children to speak Blessings over there Children.Thank you for helping Godly Women become Women after Gods own heart.Your an Inspiration to all.Friend and Sister in Christ Betty Cummings.
Betty… yes! Pleading the blood of Jesus is powerful, indeed! And I love that you are encouraging a generational blessing by passing it down to your kids… and their kids. Be blessed!
Wow! Thank you this post, very powerful encouragement, as Mom, i have one son and my heart desire is to teach him, bless him, thanks for the tips love it<3:-) May God bless you more.<3
Solita, glad to hear from you again! I bless your role as a mom to your sweet son!
Great reminder! I need to do this more!
Brittany, there is so much to remember with regard to parenting! I love when God gives us that necessary reminder at the perfect time. Be blessed, girl!
It’s so true and so powerful! I do say blessings to my kids, but not regularly, and after reading this article, I sure do want to do it everyday. Thank you for reminding of how important blessings are!
Olga, I bless YOU in the blessing of your children. I love your desire to be so intentional as a parent!
you hint at this, but another thing i would mention especially for daughters re beauty: don’t just mention physical beauty b/c not everyone possesses that or at least they go thro’ times when they don’t consider they have it. mentioning things you see in them that consist of inner beauty such as generosity, encouraging, giving, etc. commenting on those character traits when we see them and mentioning that we see God working them in their lives can be very encouraging. we often know better than most, the areas where they struggle. when we see growth in them in the area of sharing when we know it is an area that is difficult, for example, mentioning it can be very encouraging:)
Martha… I adore you. 🙂 I love your wisdom! Yes… exactly… and thank you for highlighting this point! When we bless, we need to look at the deeper things in our children. Sure we can bless their beauty, but we need to bless those character traits within that make them shine like a light into this dark world. Thanks, friend!
Thank you for valuable info, its important for mothers and older woman in general to mentor their daughters and young woman.
Lisa Jane… you hit the nail on the head, girl. It’s passing down generational blessings. Love it!
This was so inspirational, thanks for posting. I know 1st hand what it is like to love, adopt, and work with kids who are dealing and struggling with hate, disdain, discouragement spoken over them. We need to hear more about the power of blessing our kids and the long-term affects it has in their lives. Thanks for your encouragement and being a voice for children everywhere!
Thank you byuncommonmeans! I appreciate you stopping by today!
Followed you via Moms Together on Facebook. This is so good! I pray for my daughter, but never really considered how powerful speaking blessing over her with her being an active recipient (hearing the blessing) really could be. I love the example you shared – it is so good. I’ll have to dig in the Scriptures for what God wishes me to use, though must say – may have to use some of the points you shared in yours. Wow! So good.
Hi Wendy! Of course I recognize you from MT! Welcome! I love that you’re going to dig in scripture for what God wants you to share. That is powerful! You go girl!