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Blessed is the one who comes in the name
          of the LORD.
    We bless you from the house of
          the LORD. Psalm 118:26

Who was it this past week: the person who slammed the door in your face, or the class mate who ignored you when you said 'hi' in the hallway?  The co-worker who grabbed the credit for your work, the friend who forgot your birthday? The neighbor who turned and walked the other way when you stepped out on your porch, the stranger who gave you the finger after cutting you off in traffic? Who was it that made life more miserable than it already was?

God throws wide the doors of the kingdom, inviting us in, sitting us down at the table, pouring us a cup of tea, and asking, 'What's going on in you life?' Then God sits there, gently nodding, listening, embracing our days.

After some silence, God tenderly begins to probe, to help us see those others in our lives, the people we perhaps didn't notice.

Who was it that blessed you over the last few days: the stranger who gave you a smile, the little kid who came up and hugged you to pieces? Who told you how special you are without uttering a single word, who made you laugh when the tears were about to spill over? Who wrapped you in that shawl of compassion when heartache chilled your soul, who was at your side when you walked down Lonely Drive?

And then God asks, "Whose name/face will you put in the blank,
  'Blessed is __________________ who came in the name of the Lord?'"

(c) 2013  Thom M. Shuman