This is a picture of Ljubljana, one stop on RJ's travels.In a day and a half my sister RJ will be leaving for Europe. She will be there for three months. Because of this, on Sunday, we held a farewell/ blessing (and since she turned 21 on Sunday, it was also a birthday) ceremony for her. It was extremely fun. She had family attend as well as many of her friends. Since she will be in Europe, the style of food was Mediterranean. IT WAS AMAZING! If I could eat like that every day, I wouldn't be disappointed. :)
For the blessing ceremony, RJ sat in front of everyone and then people came
up and said some of the things they appreciated about her and then they usually blessed her with something. For instance, RJ is very different than anyone else I know and I blessed her with accepting that and knowing that God rejoices in her differences and that He will use them.
So, why a blessing ceremony? Well, I think most other cultures in the world, besides the extremely Westernized ones, have some sort of release into adulthood. For instance, the Jewish culture has Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. However, Westernized culture seems to have lost this valuable tradition of blessing a person and releasing him/her into adulthood. I think it is so important to receive that blessing, especially from one's parents because this is where the parents show the child that he or she is respected completely as an adult, that he or she is no longer under their parenting, and that they completely release that adult into God's plan for his or her life. I would suggest that it is crucial to receive this blessing.
I am going to miss RJ, but I am so glad she is going.
RJ, I pray God's blessing over you and your trip, I pray that it will be safe and God-filled, and I bless you with and pray for you Isaiah 30:21: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'"
For the blessing ceremony, RJ sat in front of everyone and then people came
up and said some of the things they appreciated about her and then they usually blessed her with something. For instance, RJ is very different than anyone else I know and I blessed her with accepting that and knowing that God rejoices in her differences and that He will use them.
So, why a blessing ceremony? Well, I think most other cultures in the world, besides the extremely Westernized ones, have some sort of release into adulthood. For instance, the Jewish culture has Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. However, Westernized culture seems to have lost this valuable tradition of blessing a person and releasing him/her into adulthood. I think it is so important to receive that blessing, especially from one's parents because this is where the parents show the child that he or she is respected completely as an adult, that he or she is no longer under their parenting, and that they completely release that adult into God's plan for his or her life. I would suggest that it is crucial to receive this blessing.
I am going to miss RJ, but I am so glad she is going.
RJ, I pray God's blessing over you and your trip, I pray that it will be safe and God-filled, and I bless you with and pray for you Isaiah 30:21: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'"
3 comments:
My blessings to RJ also. What a fine thing to have loved ones, both family and friends, bless and honor you as you move into adult life and new adventures. Josh, you are correct about such ceremony being of great value and having deep and long cultural roots through out the world's many cultures. It is something that the western world has in large part left behind. Perhaps it is the "rationalist" ideas of the 19th century that have gone too far. If you can not touch it, hear it, see it, smell it, or can not measure it, "it" is not important or does not exist. Yet, are not feelings of the spirit and heart real and important? Your family's ceremony for RJ certainly indicated that spirit, soul, heart, fellings are not only real; they are concrete and of incredible worth. How different is the life and achievements of one who is being encouraged and supported compared to the one who is alone and held back. If you recall my little "tounge in cheek" ceremony in 7th grade when I promoted all of your class to "manhood" you know how important this concept has been for me over the years in encouraging students to begin to digest the "meat" of God's Word, to begin to view life from a more adult and complex level. This sense of promotion in our lives, of achievement, is of the utmost importance. I think we often error by accepting social promotions such as driver's licenses, Jr. and Sr. High School graduations as being sufficient in acknowledging the transition to adulthood. These things are fine and are a nod to the importance of knowing that one has "arrived", but there can be no substitute for a godly family giving you such a passing. The social things are achievements...the family and God bequeaths blessings, which literally means to bestow beauty and worth. When you move on you do not move alone, rather you move forward together. A fine, fine thing to do. And as for you Josh...you write like someone twice your age. Keep up the good effort and beautiful prose. Because of wedding plans and showers, for my daughter Emily, Kristy and I were unable to attend your graduation open house. I am so sorry that I missed it. I do want to get together with you soon and we do have a card and gift that will be in the mail shortly. May God bless Josh B. as he moves forward in his life with his family and friends...one of whom is me.
I heard one attendee at the ceremony say this was the most awesome thing she had ever seen. A neighbor commented that she had the distinct impression of many angels flying all at once toward RJ's house about the time of the blessing ceremony. I like to think those angels came not just to minister blessings to RJ, but to stay with her and travel with her to Europe. Perhaps they will be whispering those words from Isaiah in her ears. I hope so!
Your words are very insightful, Bruce. I do think the Western world thinks that things such as blessing ceremonies are sentimental nonsense. We have terribly undervalued the spirit and heart.
Thanks so much for the encouragement to RJ and myself. :)
I'm sorry you weren't able to come to my open house. I hope to see you soon.
God bless,
Josh
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