So there’s this nice, really nice, middle aged couple who go to Walmart to buy food for the food bank. They ask the nice, really nice, young woman cashier to keep the food bank food together because ‘it’s going to the church’ and the rest of the pantihose, greeting card, shampoo stuff is going home. And she asks “What church is it for?” So they tell her and they explain that it is for the food bank – $65 worth of peanut butter, coffee etc etc. And she says “Oh that’s so kind of you.” And the reply “It’s not so much — just part of following Jesus.”
An hour later, the couple is eating supper in a fine dining establishment (okay, okay, it was Swiss Chalet, but they are practicing for being seniors, about a decade or so from now.) The server, near the end of the meal, says Thanks. You folks are very nice people.” But here, the Christians decided to blend in. Instead of saying “Thanks, being pleasant is part of following Jesus”, they just say “Thanks.”
Maybe we don’t want to be as conspicuous as the Ninjas, top to toe black, laden with weapons. But couldn’t we all give Jesus just a little more credit than we do? Couldn’t we receive a small unexpected compliment as an invitation to say “We appreciate that — it’s part of following Jesus.
You know how we all think of the snappy comeback just as the elevator door closes — couldn’t we be better prepared with a ‘word in season’ when the door is opened for us?
Good things to think about here. Only I wish I was so consistently pleasant that I could hold myself up as an example!
I live in Toronto, and whenever I’m riding the bus I see Muslims reading reverently, and Catholics whispering prayers, and thought, what a powerful witness to the fact that faith ain’t dead, even in the Big Smoke. I’ve also noticed, though, that if I’m visibily praying while on the bus, I usually manage to have the seat next to me remain free, no matter how crowded the bus is…! 😉