SHOW THYSELF FRIENDLY

Isn’t it always a pleasant surprise when we, as adults, end up being taught some life lessons from our children or even some children we may interact with in our life?

 

Sometimes we even say “out of the mouth of babes” with some of the wisdom that may come out of their mouths and sometimes we can learn lessons from their actions as well.

So, yes, here is another sharing about my teen son, inspired by an email we received from one of his teachers.

It seems like there are some good lessons we can reflect upon and figure ways we can be a light for others in the coming week.

“Hi,

I wanted to let you know what a treat it is to have your son in my US History class. He has taken it upon himself to be the official greeter and stands in the doorway during passing time and welcomes each student (and me) into class with a firm handshake and hardy “welcome to class!” It’s really interesting to see how the other students react – they say hello to him and return the handshake, almost always with a smile. 

I don’t know what inspired him to do this but I love it! It sets a very positive tone for the entire class and helps remind us that we’re all in this together.

You have quite a remarkable son!”

 

Yes, I admit it brought a tear to my eye and made me think once again how the little things mean so much in life.  The teacher in sharing that story impacted my life too!

We can all make a difference and brighten other’s days while on this earth.

 

Isn’t it like spreading Christ to others whether the people know Him or not?

As Christians, we should be continually sharing the light of Christ with others by our words and actions. It is because of Him in our hearts and the love that He has extended to us that we can’t help but have Him flow from us to others.

 

Photo courtesy of BK under Creative Commons License (CC BY-SA 2.0)

 

When I asked my son what inspired him to greet every person at the door with a handshake, this is what he said:

–He is one of the first ones to get to this particular classroom, it was a Friday, and he knows you just have to have a good attitude in life to spread happiness to others. So that day he was inspired to make people happy (something he does quite frequently with his joyful, fun loving nature) by stepping out and doing something different with greeting them at the door of the classroom.

 

A few days later he shared another story that in that same class there was one particular gal, when walking in, was looking kind of sad and down.  My son asked her about being sad, threw a floral lei to her that he was wearing, and told her she was having a good day now!  She said, “I don’t know” and sat down.  After my son was done shaking the people’s hands, he saw the seat next to the gal was empty so he sat down there. Part way through the class my son threw his second lei over her head. The gal kind of smiled and laughed. She said she was still feeling a little down because she was thinking too much about something.

My son proceeded to take off his floral, Hawaiian type shirt (yes, he had a shirt under!) and threw it to the girl telling her she had to wear the shirt and that when you wear a floral shirt you can’t be sad.  The gal actually did wear the shirt and told my son later that she did start having a good day then. She thanked him too!

 

 

 

Do you take time to make people feel welcome?

Do you notice when others are feeling down and try to make them happy?

Do you take initiative to be creative in filling a need you see or feel strongly about?

–When walking in a hallway at work

–At the grocery store as you pass fellow shoppers

–The waitress at the restaurant

–A new student in the classroom

–When you’re out for a walk or jog

–The church member who is sitting next to you

–Do you smile and say hello to those you see

 

Is there something “different” that you can do to brighten someone’s day?  Maybe even something out of your comfort zone that you’ve never done before?

–Bring a meal to a shut in

–Make cookies and a card to give to someone in a hospital or nursing home who you don’t know

–Offer to help babysit for a single parent you know from church

–Pay a compliment about someone’s character to a coworker

 

By showing thyself friendly isn’t it neat to see the ripple effect it has?

As the teacher shared two benefits that she observed were:

–Setting a positive tone.

Don’t we need more of that in this world that can be so negative sometimes?

–Providing a reminder that we are all in this thing called life together.

We should be there for others to create a loving environment reflecting Christ to all.

 

As I was finishing these thoughts, I had the delightful experience of meeting a co-worker, who I interact with at work via email since our work places are about an hour away, for lunch so we could meet face to face.  We had a wonderful time talking and sharing while almost three hours flew by!  It confirmed in my mind how something as simple as sending emails, while showing thyself friendly in caring about the other person, can have such a wonderful effect!  Both of our lives have been enriched!

 

What are some ways you can show thyself friendly this week? Or can you think of a time when someone made you feel welcome or happy when you were feeling down?  Please take a moment and share in the comment section below.  Thank you!

 

Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.  –Romans 12:10 (NLT)

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.  –Hebrews 13:2  (ESV)