God Bless You?

I hope my office mates aren't reading this blog today. Some of them sneeze louder than the freight train that blows past my office several times a day. The natural reaction of any polite person usually is to respond by saying, "God Bless You!!".

Without even thinking, we invoke God's name. Without even thinking, we pronounce a blessing on someone. The third commandment (Exodus 20:7) makes a prohibition on using the Lord's name in vain, and in our politeness I wonder if we're using God's name in a flippant and unworthy way when we use it so casually as a sneeze response. "God Bless You!", we shout back over the cubical wall. "God Bless You!", we call out... I wonder if we ought to be reserving God's name for a more hallowed situation, such as when we bow our knees in prayer, or worshiping Him in spiritual songs and hymns. I wonder if we ought to be saying "Excuse you" or "pardon you" rather than offending God by the mis-use of His sacred name.

And even if we really are attempting to use His name properly when we say "God Bless You" after a good hearty sneeze, is it really proper to command God to bless someone who might be rejecting Him and His Son? Maybe that person is currently under God's judgment, and calling on a blessing would be the exact opposite that God wants at the time. Not trying to be mean here or parse words... just calling for a re-evaluation of how we use God's name...

Mark