God blessed Abram—"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you"—to be a blessing, "I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing" (Genesis 12:2). "Blessed to be a blessing"—we use this pleasant-sounding phrase in a variety of settings. Recently a couple of children helped me understand its meaning a little more deeply.

Rob Bandy helped me. Rob is now with Jesus, but his mother talked about him at a plenary session during our national conference in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Rob came into this world with a rare genetic disorder that resulted in a multitude of severe mental and physical problems. (You can read more about Rob in the article his mother wrote.)

Jamie Lamb helped me. I listened to Roberta with granddaughter Jamie asleep in my arms. She looked so beautiful. I remember thinking what a blessing it was that she wasn’t born with all the problems Rob had to deal with. But then Roberta talked about what a blessing Rob was because he had all those problems! God taught me some things through Rob and Jamie.

Blessings come from God. I guess we all understand that. Through Rob and Jamie, God made clearer to me that He also defines blessings. God decides what blessings are. We associate blessings with "good" things—the blessings of good health or a good marriage or a good job. But God doesn’t think that way. The great preacher, C. H. Spurgeon, once said, "The greatest earthly blessing that God can give to us is our health, with the exception of sickness." Sometimes something "bad" happens, but God uses it as a blessing. I remember getting sick once when I was very, very busy. I thought, "God, I don’t need this now." But the sickness made me slow down and rest which turned out to be a real blessing!

God blessed Abram. He blessed him with specific blessings and for a specific purpose. Through His lineage, Jesus, the Savior of the world, would come. God blessed Rob and Jamie with their unique blessings for their unique purposes. Rob was blessed to allow people to serve their Savior as they served him. Now his purpose according to God’s plan is fulfilled. He abides in Heaven. Jamie’s purpose still unfolds as the Spirit of Jesus given in her baptism continues to bless. God’s blessings upon these children have nothing to do with "good" or "bad." His blessing has to do with what was and what is best for His plan for their lives. God is the one who blesses and who decides what blessings are.

Being a blessing also comes from God. Abram was a blessing because of what God did through him as part of His plan of salvation. You may recall that God often had to work in spite of Abram! But it doesn’t matter how well we "get it" or how we look or how smart we are or whether we can talk or walk. God makes us a blessing to others. That’s why Rob was a blessing. God was at work in Rob’s life through his smiles and hugs and even in all the "bad" things that happened. His life is a witness to the power of God in Christ. God works in Jamie’s life and makes her a blessing. She is a blessing to my wife and me. She is a blessing to the thousands across the country whom I have "forced" to view her pictures in my PowerPoint™ presentations! The future will be full of opportunities in which God will be at work using Jamie as one of His many blessing dispensers.