Abram's Gift

I will bless

those who bless you,

I will curse

those who treat you with contempt,

and all the peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.

Genesis 12:3

I'm not sure if that would be empowering or terrifying.  

The thought of the entire laser focus on heaven's attention resting on my every interaction could be an anchor of hope in the midst of endless opposition.  It could also be a crushing weight of responsibility.  

I don't know how Abram felt about it, but I certainly don't always earn the blessings of those I touch. Maybe I deserved some contempt that day. 

Would it change my interactions, to be given that promise?  Would I consider, day by day, whether my grouchy mood could lead someone to react in a way that would bring the very wrath of God upon them? 

That promise was to Abram, to the nation he founded, it was never personal to anyone else.

Yet, the principal is there.  I can't control the choices others make in reaction to me.

But I can sure control the choices I make, that provoke those reactions in them.