A Blessing on Your House

Something I've been thinking about: Over the last few days, I have heard "Happy New Year" everywhere I've gone. The French take it much more seriously than Americans, I think. For me, "Happy New Year" is what you say/shout at midnight when the year changes over. One might say it on New Year's day to friends and family, but after that, it's pretty much over. Here in France, one has the right to say it during the whole month of January to anyone one hasn't yet seen since the new year began. The French take it one giant step further as well, by greeting people with “meilleurs voeux” (best wishes) as a simple blessing. From there, the blessings can be much more specific, depending on how well you know the person. I was pleasantly shocked when someone greeted me with these words on Sunday: “Happy New Year! May this year be a year of blessing for you and your ministry in France; may you have open doors in your work here and may the Lord increase the opportunities you have. May He bless you with the desires of your heart and the joy of His presence this year.”

It was the first of many such blessings I would hear over the last week. Every time someone “wishes” these sentiments for me, I feel humbled and touched by the power of their words. The gift of that blessing makes our “Happy New Year” seem very empty and insufficient in comparison.