Dovetailing off yesterday's post, I was thinking this morning about ways to "plant seeds" in our daily encounters with people. Here's what I've come up with so far:
1. Ask the grocery store clerk how their day's going. Actively listen to the answer and show that you genuinely care.
2. Surprise your hairdresser with a larger tip than he or she was expecting. Be sure to thank them for doing a good job.
3. Thank the Guard member walking back to their car in the store parking lot for their service. Shake their hand, if they seem open to such a gesture. (I learned this one from watching my dad do it. I did it myself in the Target parking lot a few weeks back and seemed to make the young airman's day. If I'm not willing to leave my family and go fight for my country, the least I can do is show appreciation for those who do.)
4. Pick up someone who can't drive any more and take them out to eat, to the mall, to a movie or to church.
5. Avoid the temptation to bite someone's head off when you come back to the office after wrestling with your car doors in the 60 mph wind gusts. (Can you tell I experienced this one first-hand today?)
Are any of these actions overtly religious? No. (With the exception of taking someone to church, of course.)
Do they need to be? I would argue no, they don't.
I think the biggest way we demonstrate our faith is through our actions. If we profess to be Christian (or any other faith, for that matter) and yet our actions are the polar opposite of our faith's teachings, we're actually planting weeds of faith, not seeds.
Which makes me think of the following quote, which I first heard as the lead-in to dc Talk's song "What If I Stumble?":
"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." -- Brennan Manning
Brian you do all of these things out of the goodness of your heart (plus your Christian faith). I've seen it a lot in the things you do for others. You and Melissa are great mentors for your children! The quote by Brennan Manning above is so true. Everyone in today's world seems to be in too much of a hurry to help one another or they are too angry to stop and wonder what the heck they are angry about.
ReplyDeleteEncourage someine with faith based words. I had a student struggling with his faith, I listened & supported him.
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