¹⁴ If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning,
    it will be taken as a curse.

Good Done Badly

Is the above verse a metaphor, or is it literal?  It rings true on both accounts.  If a person is tired and sleepy and you rush in with blessings and positivity, it can sound a discord with their physical state.  Some people are morning people and some people are evening people.  The principle here is the timing of our good intentions.

A self-focused person will look only at their motives and attempts at doing good.  A wise person looks beyond their desires to do good, to God’s timing.  Is the person ready for this ‘blessing’?  Does the old lady I am helping cross the road really want to get to the other side.  Helping people who are not ready for help or who don’t desire it is comical.  Bringing a loud blessing to someone who is in bed half asleep is rarely appreciated.

Examine yourself and see, do you do the god things you do because God wants you to do them?  How receptive are people to the ‘blessings’ you bring?  Have you found out about your family, friends and other acquaintances as to whether they are morning people or evening people?  Are you doing what they want or need, or are you doing what you think they should want or need?

Questions

1. What might be taken as a curse?
2. Why would a person’s positive intentions be so completely overlooked?
3. What must a person consider when choosing to bless others?
4. How do you attempt to bless others?
5. Are people really ready for your type of blessing?  Do they want it?