The Bible is packed full of relationships...our relationship with God, Jesus, family, friends, and even strangers are mentioned in the Bible. I'd say God really wants our lives to be about relationships.
Where do relationships start?
Sometimes we find ourselves too busy to smile and greet the people we meet along our ways. We are too busy checking our shopping list as we walk into the grocery store, never noticing the people who pass us. We are in a hurry when we drive through McDonald's and don't smile at the employee handing us our food. We miss opportunities every day to just simply smile a blessing into someone else's life. We tend to think of those that don't look up and smile or say hello as rude. However we don't hold ourselves to that standard because we know we aren't rude...just busy, just in a hurry, just pre-occupied.
The past few years, I've really made it a mission to be friendly and speak to those I encounter at the store, restaurant, fast food joint, etc. As I check out at Target, I make an effort to always say "Have a nice day" or reply "You too" when they wish me well. I haven't always been that way. I used to be too shy to speak, too caught up in my little world to acknowledge the other human being I was currently in contact with. Speaking out to a stranger is really hard for me at times. It gets easier and easier....and some situations are just easier than others (2 year old little girls with loud voices attract the attention of everyone in the check out line). Sometimes the person on the other side of the cash register just isn't outgoing, or friendly, or seems to not be in the mood to talk. It's those situations that I struggle with, to be the first to speak. But, the more I do it, the more it becomes a habit. I now feel as if I forgot something when I don't speak...
Where do relationships start?
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| Source: Raising Figure Skaters |
Sometimes we find ourselves too busy to smile and greet the people we meet along our ways. We are too busy checking our shopping list as we walk into the grocery store, never noticing the people who pass us. We are in a hurry when we drive through McDonald's and don't smile at the employee handing us our food. We miss opportunities every day to just simply smile a blessing into someone else's life. We tend to think of those that don't look up and smile or say hello as rude. However we don't hold ourselves to that standard because we know we aren't rude...just busy, just in a hurry, just pre-occupied.
The past few years, I've really made it a mission to be friendly and speak to those I encounter at the store, restaurant, fast food joint, etc. As I check out at Target, I make an effort to always say "Have a nice day" or reply "You too" when they wish me well. I haven't always been that way. I used to be too shy to speak, too caught up in my little world to acknowledge the other human being I was currently in contact with. Speaking out to a stranger is really hard for me at times. It gets easier and easier....and some situations are just easier than others (2 year old little girls with loud voices attract the attention of everyone in the check out line). Sometimes the person on the other side of the cash register just isn't outgoing, or friendly, or seems to not be in the mood to talk. It's those situations that I struggle with, to be the first to speak. But, the more I do it, the more it becomes a habit. I now feel as if I forgot something when I don't speak...
You never know what joy a smile might bring to someone else. A smile could be the start of a great friendship. Maybe your smile will encourage "the grouch" you just encountered to smile a bit more.
Smiling is free, pay it forward.
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