Pastor Phil pose this challenge last Sunday to the congregation:
"Treat every one you meet as if you've known them all your life."
It was an easy one I thought to myself. If you are working in customer service industry err, Starbucks, who nourishes human connection with the same passion as it serves its coffee, OR if you are a Starbucks customer who regularly go to one store not just for your cup of coffee, but because efficiency and genuine friendly service is delivered every single time then, you know what I am talking about.
I am a people person. I rarely find the times that I couldn't strike a good conversation with people I just met. Weather is a good conversation starter here. Or asking about how their long weekend went or what's the plan for Friday night. I get genuine replies from people most of the time. But over time that I keep asking the same question to different people and when I felt "I am becoming robotic" that's when people will start asking me "How do you pronounce your name? Lour-des?" That's when I know that I am actually making the connection with people. That I am making some people feel that they are thought about for a good three minutes as I make their drink. It might be a short time you may say, but I don't know what people go through in their own lives and making them feel that I care about how their morning is going or what's the plan for the weekend, it makes a difference on how they will think about the rest of their day. I have the opportunities every day to make a difference to at least one person, and that person may influence another one!
Pastor Phil's message last Sunday was about Love and how God commands us to to do everything in love. That we "must wear love" for everyone to see. This is not much of a challenge to me because I am a "people person", it comes easy to me to show that I care because I know I am well taken care of and well-thought of by someone that matters to me more than anyone else. That I don't have to worry about myself too much because God got my back.
I am starting a new year, a NEW me. I have neglected a lot of my other relationships and friendships for the last few months because my gaze was not fixed on Jesus.
I am working on wearing love again for everyone to see. I will be persistent and will find joy seeing how he works the details in my life in a way that is better than anything I could imagine. I am excited for the days to come. I can only imagine the jubilation when I reach the finish line. I have a reminder to myself and to you though, "be patient with me, God is not done with me yet."
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou
