We’ve all been there. You sneeze, and you expect that polite, “Bless you!” from someone nearby. It’s almost as automatic as the sneeze itself. My daughter? She’s a firm believer in this sacred exchange. So, one evening, she came home looking ‘absolutely’ outraged. When I asked what was wrong, she vented that she sneezed on the school shuttle bus and—brace yourself—’no one’ said, “Bless you.” I mean, the audacity, right? It was as if they had denied her some divine protection from the Sneeze Gods.

After calming her down and explaining that no, failing to say “Bless you” won’t result in a curse (though she might disagree), I reminded her: “You don’t need anyone’s blessing for a sneeze—you’re already blessed because you’re a child of God!” But I couldn’t help wondering: why do we say “Bless you” when someone sneezes? So, I went down the rabbit hole of research. Spoiler alert: The theories range from sneezes expelling evil spirits to “Bless you,” which is some CPR to restart your heart. I mean, talk about dramatic! 🤔

After wading through the weird history, I realized something: we shouldn’t wait for someone to sneeze to start tossing out blessings. What are we waiting for? A nasal explosion to remind us that we can speak life and hope into someone? Proverbs 11:25 says, “The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed.” So why not be that person? And yes, the Bible even takes it up a notch and asks us to bless the people who persecute us. (Yes, even ‘that’ person who cuts you off in traffic.) Romans 12:14 says, “Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.”

Now, let’s be real: blessing someone isn’t just tossing them a feel-good phrase like it’s a spiritual Band-Aid. It’s invoking God’s power to be with them, guide them, protect them, and bring God’s peace into their life. So next time, whether there’s a sneeze or not, just declare a blessing over someone. You never know—it might just turn their day around… and maybe even yours!

So, here’s my blessing for you: God bless you this week. May He bless you when you go out and come in, and yes, I mean it—sneeze or no sneeze!

Scripture Focus – Numbers 6:24-26

“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.”