Last Updated on March 20, 2018
The Lord convicted me about a kind of odd thing late last night. In the quiet hours when I was reviewing my family’s day, it occurred to me that I was the cause of some of today’s chaos. And for one simple reason. I don’t say “hello” well, I thought to myself.
I think I’m too busy for small talk and I get right down to the business of life. This is especially apparent at home where I am a wife and mother:
“Hey, did you remember your lunch box?”
“Hi, did you remember we have to meet the Horns at 6:00?”
Worst: “Good morning, you have one hour until we leave for school.”
It’s easy for a mom to fall into this rut. (I hope I’m not the only one.) Juggling the schedules of five family members gets crazy, but am I really getting the cooperation I want with my direct approach?
I had to ask myself that last night. It really cut me to the core when I read this, “Greet one another with a kiss of love.” That’s from I Peter 5:14. The Apostle Paul also admonished his disciples to be good greeters. Jesus even said we should speak kindly to our enemies. He said that pagans sometimes speak with greater kindness than followers of God, and that shouldn’t be the case. In fact, I have friends who claim to be atheists who are the most loving greeters. They just make me feel like I’m the only person in the world when I meet up with them.
I wonder how I make people feel? I think I know how I make my kids and husband feel … hurried, late, anxious. So in the darkness I wrote a promise in the form of a prayer. Lord, I want to change. I want people to love seeing me because I make them feel good.
My sleepiest morning child—who always hears how late she’ll be for school every day—just heard, “Good morning, I love you!”
My early riser got, “Wow! You look so beautiful today.” A good start.
Does anyone need to repent of being a bad greeter? Start today. Just say “hello” with a hearty smile and a promise to spread God’s love with a holy greeting!
Dannah Gresh is a best-selling author and the creator of Secret Keeper Girl. Best-known for And the Bride Wore White and Lies Young Women Believe (co-written with Nancy Leigh DeMoss), Dannah is a gifted communicator whose ministry focus is coaching moms to be great connectors to their tween and teen children. She and her husband Bob are left to run a menagerie of animals on a hobby farm since her three young adult children have flown the coop. Her happiest times are when all the chicks are back in the nest.
What a great take on that verse, Dannah. Thanks for the good words.
How true this is for me! We have three children. All three have health issues and one has special needs. On top of that, I have my own slew of health issues. I never even thought about the impact the initial hello can have! Thanks for sharing!
My husband and I view getting kids up so differently. He turns on the over head light and greets them with "Time to get up" I like to leave the lights off, ruffle fuzzy heads and whisper time to rise and shine. I have a funny song that goes, "Good Morning, Good Morning, Good Morning. It's time to rise and shine. The sun is up, get out of bed, the sun is up, you sleepy heads. The day is calling just to you, doodley do, doodley do." They roll their eyes, but open them and giggle. If I can reach the one on the top bunk, I'll head snuggle with him. The little one on the bottom bunk becomes "nest boy" because he snuggles down in the covers with stuffed animals all around. They just seem to get moving faster with a few minutes of love and silliness.