A CEREMONY OF BLESSING
Read time: 3 mins
If you are wondering what you can do to have a deeper impact on the men in your circle of influence, you should consider organizing a "ceremony of blessing."
In many tribal cultures around the world, there are unique ceremonies that celebrate and emphasize the transition from boyhood to manhood. These ceremonies have largely been lost in Western cultures. Typically, there is nothing to mark the progression of a man through the various growth phases of his life. We do see this, however, in the Bible when a new king was coronated or when a family elder passed on a blessing to his children before death.
In these kinds of ceremonies, specific and tailored words were spoken as a way to mark the man and the moment as significant. A ceremony of blessing often begins in this way: Time stops and everybody watches. Then, a man is called forward. He is addressed not as a boy, but as a man. A charge is given that calls him to action. A blessing is spoken into his future. In many cases, hands are laid on his head as a symbol of leadership transfer.
Oftentimes, a son or a young man would anticipate this moment his entire life. He was also prepared for it by the larger community around him.
After the ceremony, before life went on, there was a celebration, and the growth of the newly blessed man was further affirmed, supported, and honored.
Look around today at the men in your life. It is very likely that most of them, if not all, have never experienced a ceremony of blessing like this. Typically, they graduate from middle school and high school, if they graduate at all, and then awkwardly stumble into a career choice. They are not adequately prepared for marriage or fatherhood.
They have never seen a credible example of manhood passed from one generation to the next. The words spoken to them by father figures have done more damage than good.
This is where you come in. This is where you can make a difference. You can initiate that ceremony on their behalf! At the Full Proof Man, we have created a signature circular disk called a Blessing Block. Essentially, it is a rough-cut wooden coaster on which the following words are engraved:
I have received blessing and must speak blessing into my circle of influence.
These Blessing Blocks were created to accompany moments in which you would impart, speak, or pray a blessing into the life of another man. This can be done with a son, father, brother, or friend. Your ceremony can be as casual or formal as you desire. Whatever you do, make the moment meaningful.
As you invite a man to partake in the ceremony, choose your words wisely. Say things that he would consider significant. Reverse any lies that may have damaged his emotional development. Affirm his future. Honor his growth. Speak faith and, as the Spirit leads, prophesy victory in the face of his struggle. Pray that God would raise him up and make him a biblical, strategic, and Spirit-led man. Then, before you move on, take time to celebrate. Buy him dinner. Invite his larger community of support to participate. After all is said and done, give him the Blessing Block as a memento or gift. Lastly, encourage him to do the same thing for others when he is ready. As he has received blessing, may he speak blessing into his circle of influence.
How would the world change if men took the time to bless each other like this?
Whether you utilize the Full Proof Man Blessing Block or not, look around and find men to invite into a ceremony of blessing.
THINK ABOUT IT
Who are the men in your life (young or old) that have yet to receive a spoken blessing from you? What is preventing you from using your words to affirm their development as men or leaders? In the next ten days, how can you step into this void and make up the difference?
