Take Notice
I have my biological family, my church family, my Boojoyful.blogspot family and my Kroger grocery store family. People laugh at me for knowing the names of many Kroger workers but I figure I spend time there every week and I truly value the people willing to work there, so I should get to know them. The head of the deli and bakery are coming to visit church next month!
My husband teases me and says on my tombstone he is going to put..."She was personable." I just think a smile and a hello can change a person's day. We don't know what heartache is held in others' lives.
A couple Sunday nights ago we were heading home from youth group at church and I was exhausted, but knew we needed a store stop for we had none of my husband's essentials...coffee, orange juice, milk, cereal and Homestead Creamery ice cream. Graciously, he offered to go in and do the shopping and allow me to close my eyes in the car. He came back elated stating he had been so personable!
The story he shared was precious. There is a young Downs Syndrome fellow who is a bagger at this store. My husband looked at him and asked how he was doing. He said, "You smell nice. You are our number one customer tonight!" Taken back a bit, my husband sniffed his pits and then replied, "Thank you." The check out lady chuckled and said, "He said, "You SMILE nice."
Guess who got the blessing and number one customer award for simply taking notice and offering up a comment and smile? Oh, and by the way, he smells nice too.
Have you ever heard this quote? "Live in such a way that if anyone should speak badly of you no one would believe it." I rings true of Titus 2:7-8 CEV which says,
Always set a good example for others. Be sincere and serious when you teach. Use clean language that no one can criticize. Do this, and your enemies will be too ashamed to say anything against you.
We never know who is watching our behavior. Whether we are blessing our food in public, speaking to the bag boy, letting someone go in front of us in line or heading out the door to church every Sunday. People are taking notice and formulating opinions. Of course as our grands would remind us...God is always watching too!
As people take notice of us, do our actions point them to Jesus?
The Song
"Only Jesus" Casting Crowns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A66WYdMkUbU
