"Have a blessed day" - How does that make you feel?

wanderlustguy

I just returned a customer's phone call and heard that on the voice mail. Every now and then these come along, and I experience a few emotions or thoughts. What about you?

My thoughts and experiences, and yes I know EVERYONE isn't like this and there are a lot of great, humble, Christ serving people here and out there...this isn't directed at you:

Oh no...another person that is going to screw me over big time, expecting perfection but wanting to pay for mediocre. Just like preachers...I'll turn down a preacher or a church every time because they always seem to think they are entitled to something more than everyone else because they are "Christians"

"Have a blessed day" = I'm better than you or any of your little friends, and saying this makes me feel better about myself because I can speak for GOD and ALLOW you to have a better day than you deserve. Yay me.

"Have a blessed day" also = I'm so righteous that I have to tell you this. Why? Because I'm so good and humble, you'll never figure it out unless I tell you.

Ok...rant over.

WLG

tetrapod.sapien

you could reply: "thanks, but nature already has."

tetra

Scully

"Have a blessed day" - How does that make you feel?

It makes me feel icky. Like I just touched something gross.

I realize that people say this (and other things, like "I'll pray for you" or some other trite phrase) with the best of intentions. I realize that it reflects their particular belief system. I also realize that it is somewhat in vogue to say things like "have a blessed day" because simply saying "have a nice day" has been over-used to the point of it being a thoughtless cliché.

It bugs me, though, that people feel that they have the right to "inflict" their belief system on me like that. I'd never say something like "I hope your day evolves in a positive manner", because (a) it sounds stupid and (b) it would be construed by some as an affront to their religious beliefs.

Wishing someone to "have a nice day" - despite the over-used cliché - is good enough for me.

Crumpet

Thankfully this sort of crassness has not made it over to the UK yet, but if someone said it to me I would feel like Scully "icky" and probably respond quite honestly "Oops I think i just threw up a little in my mouth!"

JWdaughter

Definitions of bless on the Web:

* give a benediction to; "The dying man blessed his son"

* confer prosperity or happiness on

* make the sign of the cross over someone in order to call on God for protection; consecrate

* consecrate: render holy by means of religious rites

wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

* A blessing (from to bless, Old English bleodsian or bletsian) originally meant "sprinkling with blood" during the pagan sacrifices, the Blóts (reference: AHD).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bless

* (1.) God blesses his people when he bestows on them some gift temporal or spiritual (Gen. 1:22; 24:35; Job 42:12; Ps. 45:2; 104:24, 35).

www.godweb.org/blT0000600.htm

* To make "holy" by setting it apart as being sacred.

www.geocities.com/hiera_mysteria/logos.html

I figure if someone wants to confer prosperity or happiness to me-then I am glad they have some to pass around. I deal with enough people that are NOT nice, that whether I am getting a blessing from a Christian or a Wiccan, I am happy to get any I can. I can understand how a lot of it might grate on a person, but I get more 'blessed be's' from Wiccans than I do 'have a blessed day' from Christians. I will wish blessings on persons in a non-religous way-just hoping, (as one definition states) that they have a good day (prosperity or happiness). I touch my kids foreheads in a way that they know I love them and want good things for them. I told them that everytime I do that it means i love him/her so much and hope all is good for him (maybe the kids are a little bit 'sacred' to me!). It's my little blessing, but I don't think I am God, and I am not even remotely religious anymore. But its an energy I am sending them. they know it, and i get a wonderful loving look back many times when we share this. I think most people want what is good for the people around them. I hope they do! I hope my kids will always let me 'bless' them in this way.

Scully

I suppose you could always ask the person saying it what they mean.

"Just out of curiosity, when you say 'Have a blessed day', what do you mean by that?"
"Huh?"
"Well, obviously, you think my life sucks to the point of requiring divine intervention. So what kind of blessings should I be looking for?"
"Pardon me?""Should I be looking for something like not getting pulled over by the police if I drive too fast? Would that be a blessing?"
"Sure, I guess so."
"So your idea of a blessing would be for God to fix things so that I don't have to realize the usual consequences of my behaviour?"
"What??""What if I found some money?? Would that be a blessing?"
"Yes, obviously."
"What if the money belonged to someone else... what did they do to deserve losing the money that I found as a blessing?"
"Oh for f*** sake!! I just meant to wish you a nice day!!"
"Why didn't you just say so??"

I.Wonder

It really depends on who it is coming from. We have this lady in our town who pushes a little metal cart around and has Jesus Saves and Jesus Lives painted in huge letters on her house. Somtimes she calls us at work and when she goes to hang up the phone she says "Have a blessed day!" It really creeps me out. I feel like she's trying to rub off on me or something.

On the other hand some of my friends in the wiccan/pagan or new age community will end an e-mail with "Brightest Blessings" or "Blessed Be". I myself may end an e-mail with something similar. That doesn't bother me at all, for me it's a different energy, a different vibe that I am personally comfortable with.

If I feel the individual is trying to be loving by sending a blessing my way then I am cool with it (no matter how they phrase it). If I sense the person feels I am in desperate need of being saved because I am going to burn in hell or whatever then I just get creeped out.

I.Wonder

Warlock

"Have a blessed day"

Makes me feel like, I have just been in contact with a religious hypocrite.

Warlock

Apostate Kate

Being a practicing Christian believer, I take blessing quite seriously. I would never ask a blessing on someone verbally unless I want them to know my wishes for them. For example;

A stranger, I will rarely say God bless you out of respect for what their belief system may be. However if I see that they are having a rough day like a stressed mother in a store I can bless her with a smile, a kind word and a silent prayer for her.

A friend who is also a Christian believer; I may say; May God bless you, your family and your day. I try to never say I will pray for someone unless I truly will be praying for them.

OUTLAW

Not impressed..How about this?.."Have a great f*ck`n day,here`s $600.00!!"..LOL!!...OUTLAW

"Have a blessed day" - How does that make you feel?

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