"What does it mean to be a blessing?" Christians typically stumble over this idea. Either they believe they are being a blessing by avoiding bad actions, or they think that being a blessing means wearing themselves out trying to do good.

To be a blessing is actually an everyday, gritty, real thing. The word "blessing" in Greek comes from two words, Eu=well and Logos=word. Well Word. The word "eu-logos" should sound familiar. It's the root of the word "eulogy." A eulogy is the nice speech someone gives at a funeral to say nice things about the deceased.

God's idea is that we do not wait to say nice things until after someone is dead. Every living person should have an opportunity to hear those words of blessing while they are still alive and can act on what they hear.

But what is a blessing, exactly? The answer is in the very first book of the Bible, in the very first chapter. Genesis 1:28 says, "God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.'"

God's blessing released Adam and Eve to do what they were designed to do.

The blessing is the same for you and me. It is our opportunity to enable others to do what they are designed to do.

There is no pie-in-the-sky, hyper-spirituality here. It's as simple as asking this question every day: "Are those around me better able to bear God's image because of the way I bear God's image?"

Find ways to move toward a "Yes" answer to that question, and you will be well on your way to being a blessing to all nations of the earth (Genesis 12:2-3 and Galatians 3:6-9).