Bountiful Blessings
I have (what I consider) a wonderful
treat for you! I have a guest writer who has a heartfelt and incredible message
to share with you this week. J
I decided I’d throw my two cents in
to the Bountiful Blessings this time, since my mom has gotten to be kind of a
slacker (just kidding!). I want to take this time to write about something we
all have but never think about – first impressions. Meeting someone, or even
seeing them for the first time – what do you immediately do? That’s right,
you’ve already summed up their personality, life story, and everything in
between in that short period of time. It’s okay, we’re all guilty of doing it.
The question is, are you happy with how you’re presenting yourself to the
world? Are you representing God in a manner you’re content with? I know
personally there have been times I’ve been a less than stellar example of
someone living a God-filled life, and that’s okay too. I know, I shouldn’t be
saying that it is okay to look like a total jerk while preaching the Word. But
you know what? I think God understands too. After all, if you look throughout
the Bible you can find so many examples of men and women being guilty of the
same things we are – laziness, speaking ill of others, treating others kind of
awful, and so on. What else is a theme in this same Bible? FORGIVENESS.
Something we often forget to do.
Let’s go back to the original point
here, first impressions. I just started a new job and I am the first person
many of these students see when they walk in the door. I want to make sure I am
friendly and helpful, and to let them know I will assist in any way I can. The
students themselves do not have to make a good first impression on me, but they
choose to anyway. They choose to be polite, overall friendly, and extremely
courteous to someone new in the job. Can you imagine? Being polite just because
you can. I think it’s such a wonderful quality. I realize that I sound a little
bit jaded here, considering how excited I am that young adults are just being
nice for the sake of it. However, I’ve worked customer service jobs over the
years dealing with some incredibly rude people; one woman in particular blamed
me for the fact that the movie she wanted to see was not listed in the
newspaper nor on the website for our theater, but she knows it must be there.
For a while I was really irritated by people in general, but then I simply
thought, is this what Jesus would want? If He were here to witness this, would
he want me to lose my temper at the customer? Well, no. In fact, I’m pretty
sure He’d want me to do the complete opposite – turn the other cheek. So I did.
I learned to face every single customer with a smile and a pleasant demeanor,
and you know what I discovered? So many of those very same people who would be
aggressive or short-tempered with me were now smiling themselves, even going so
far as to ask about my day and thank me for treating them like human beings.
Isn’t that sad? I wish it could be a standard that everyone treated everyone
equally, no matter who they are. I am realistic though, and I know that simply
doesn’t happen.
So, let’s
once again do this loopty-loop back to my main point. First impressions are key
no matter what industry you’re in, or even if you’re unemployed/a student
passing someone on a street. Something as easy as a smile, and perhaps a “good
day” proclamation could change a person without you even realizing it. First
impressions are not just appearances, but also demeanors. Occupation is not
nearly as important as we make it out to be – Jesus was but a humble carpenter,
one of the world’s oldest (and most necessary) occupations, yet today we raise
doctors and politicians on a much higher pedestal. I work at a law library, and
if we were going to judge based on appearances, I would not be hesitant to say
most lawyers are clothed in pajamas and sweatpants with their hair in a messy
bun. Sounds blasphemous, I know, and please know I am not digging on the law
community. As I said before, these students in their comfortable clothes and
calm expressions can turn into fierce debating machines at the drop of a hat.
I’m sure many of them think of librarians as matronly types with flower-print
dresses and a wardrobe consisting of cat hair on everything. Yep, I fit that
description pretty much to a fault. So first impressions can be telling, sure.
I’m also sure by now you’re wondering why I’ve spent so much time telling you
about how I feel, instead of actually leading to a real message here. Let’s
look at 1 Samuel 16:7 here, where Samuel makes a judgment based on first
impressions rather than the Lord’s way: “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not
consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does
not at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but
the Lord looks at the heart.” (NIV) Wow! I know, right? The Lord looks at the
heart. Just take that in for a second. When we see the Lord, He will not care
if we made a ton of money, or if our outward
appearance
is appealing; His only concern is what lies inside us, the spirit within. I
have a little bit of mental homework for you all (don’t worry, no one will know
but you): try to smile at someone new this week. If you’re feeling super brave,
give them a “good morning!” with that smile. You never know how a grin and a
couple of words could change someone’s life. And always remember, the Lord is
with you at all times, whether you feel like you could conquer the world or if
you can’t even bear to get out of bed. He is by your side at all times, you
just have to do is look.
Bible Verse for the week:
“Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; God probes
for what is good.”
Proverbs 16:2 (MSG)
This
edition of Bountiful Blessings contributed by Summer Robinette
Bible Fun for the week:
How many books are there in the
Old Testament?
__ A. 39 __ C. 55 __ B. 40 __ D.
66
How many books are there in the
New Testament?
__ A. 24 __ C. 35 __ B. 27 __ D.
37
Which was the first Gospel to be
written?
__ A. Matthew __ C. Luke __ B.
Mark __ D. John
What is the name of the last book
in the Old Testament?
____________________________
When was the first Gospel
written?
__ A. AD 7 __ C. AD 65 __ B. AD
35 __ D. AD 70
Which parable is not found in the
Gospel of John?
__ A. The Lost Coin __ B. The
Prodigal Son __ C. The Ten Virgins __ D. The Lost Sheep
__ E. All of the above
Which New Testament book was
written first?
__ A. Matthew __ B. First
Thessalonians __ C. First Peter __ D. First Corinthians
Place these Old Testament Kings
in order:
__ A. David __ C. Solomon __ B.
Josiah __ D. Saul
Where are the “I am” sayings of
Jesus found?
__ A. Matthew and Mark __ B. Only
in Luke __ C. Luke and Matthew __ D. Only in John
Number these in chronological
order
__ Moses __ Noah __ Abraham __
Ezekiel __ David
In what year was Jesus born?
__
A. The year 0 __ B. 5 BC __ C. AD 5 __ D. None of the above
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