Every year during the Fourth of July, we go to a fireworks show. This year we went to our usual spot and settled in to enjoy the day.

It was just a few minutes before I realized a problem: There were no toys for me to play with. So I walked to a nearby store and bought a football. I came back to our spot and started throwing it with Cole and my nephew, Matthew.

A little boy came up and wanted to play. He was probably about 6 years old, so I tossed the ball to him underhanded. The ball hit him in the chest and fell to the ground. I tossed it again. Once more, he missed it. I worked with him a little bit, showing him how to catch the ball.

Then he tried to throw the ball to me, but couldn’t do it. The ball kept slipping out of his hand. I took another couple of minutes and showed him how to hold the ball so he could throw it.

Before long, the little boy was catching and throwing with relative ease. I was so proud of him that as he went back to sit with his parents, I walked over and told them that I wanted him to have the football.

When I got back to where my family was sitting, Cole told me that he wanted his football back. I explained that the football was not his, it was mine. I had bought it, and I had given it to the little boy.

I said to Cole, "Son, you have three footballs at home and that little boy doesn’t have one at all. God has blessed us in a lot of ways. And because he’s blessed us, we’re able to bless others." Cole thought for a moment, then agreed that it was a good idea to have given the football to the little boy.

I realize that a football is a small thing. Some people wouldn’t consider it a blessing to have — or give — one, but it sure was a blessing to that little boy.

In Genesis 2:2-3, God told Abraham that he would not only bless him, but through him he would also bless "all peoples on earth." God kept the first promise, and he fulfilled the second one through Abraham’s descendent, Jesus Christ. Now, anyone who accepts Christ as their savior will, as a result of that relationship, receive the spiritual blessings of God.

What are some ways God has blessed you so that you can bless others?