No, I don’t mean the blue vested retirees at the door of Wal-mart. What I mean is, in the morning, are you the one to say”Hello.” or “Good Morning.” or do you typically respond to someone else?
\nA few years ago I had the great pleasure of working for a year side by side with my best friend. We lived near each other, so we carpooled as well, getting in a little prayer time together on the way. It was a year I would not trade for anything. Byron is a man with an uncanny insight into people’s character, ever observant of their demeanor and behavior, looking into their soul. Not long after starting there (I had been there for several years), Byron pointed out that the owner rarely greeted anyone in the morning. He was almost always there first, but rarely seemed to even notice that we had come in until we said “Hello.”. Byron also pointed out that I was the same way. I came in and went to my desk to get started on the day, oblivious to the other humans in the room. Byron would go out to the shop and say “Hi” to everyone before sitting down. He confronted me on that. Frankly, it was something I had never thought of. It wasn’t that I intended to ignore folks or didn’t care, I was just in my own little world I guess.
\nWell, Byron has moved to another state and I’ve moved on to another job. Recently, though, two new guys at the office have refreshed my memory. They’re both greeters, it’s rare that I say “Hi” to them before they say “Hi” to me. In fact, there have been times that I hear “Good morning!.” from over the wall and I hadn’t even noticed them.
\nI have to wonder, as a disciple, would Jesus be a greeter? I have a hard time coming up with a reason he wouldn’t be. So, again, as a disciple, shouldn’t I strive to be a greeter too? Not so much to beat folks to the punch, or to be that annoying happy-go-lucky guy that’s so perky on Monday morning, but doesn’t it say a little something about me that I can arrive in a building full of people I know and not even notice them?<\/i> What is so important on my mind that I can’t pay attention to those around me long enough to say “Hi”? Does it say anything about how much (or little) concern I have for them? Now, I’m not saying that all non-greeters will go to Hell, but it seems to me that a Christian ought to be in tune with the people around him, their demeanor, what they are all about, who they are, at the very least to say “Hi”. We ought to strive to care about their hope and fears, their dreams and struggles. Why would they tell us that if we didn’t even see them there? In order to love, we have to be aware, and being a Christian is all about how we love.
\nSo, are you a greeter?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"