Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
I Peter 3:8&9 (ESV)
A pillow in my reading chair at home has a large black ampersand against a white background. What is an ampersand? It is the logogram &. A logogram is a character representing a word or phrase, and, of course, when I researched this logogram, I found it originated as a ligature of the letters et—Latin for “and”.
For me this symbol represents something even more meaningful—it reminds me that life gets a whole lot more interesting when I think in terms of adding several “&’s” to my daily activities, especially regarding people. The &’s open up a world of adventure as I consider who to reach out to spontaneously. Perhaps it is meeting a physical need or sending a note, writing an e-mail, or texting with words of affirmation and encouragement by letting someone know I’ve noticed something worthwhile about them. But my intent is clear. It is to strike a match within them.
Laura Esquivel, a teacher and novelist, has written, “Each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can’t strike them all by ourselves.” Laura goes on to explain that we need each other to engender the explosion that lights one of the matches. When that happens, “For a moment we are dazzled by an intense emotion. A pleasant warmth grows within us, fading slowly as time goes by, until a new explosion comes along to revive it.”
The passage above reminds us that we are blessed when we bless others! The blessing Peter is referring to is a life filled with love and good days (I Peter 3:10). There is a kind of behavior that leads to a pleasant and satisfying life. When I make it my ambition to discover what will set off explosions in the lives of others, the combustion that occurs nourishes both of our souls.
Who around you needs to be noticed? Who needs a word of encouragement? Who can you bless with an unexpected gift? Light a few matches and see what happens—especially when your “&’s” have no expectations of you doing so!