Yesterday we talked about how to become more welcoming of ourselves. We talked about how naturally hard we are on ourselves and how we need to offer ourselves the same grace we give others. Speaking of others, today we’ll look at how to become more welcoming of others.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes (let’s be honest, a lot of the time) I am in a hurry to get somewhere or in a hurry to get something done. I have a list of errands to complete before I go home, clean the house, cook dinner, get ready for bed, and then get up the next day and do it all over again. In these times I am very focused on the task at hand and tend to drown everything else around me out.
You might relate to me in this way. And it’s good to be able to focus and get things done. However, if you’re anything like me, in the drowning out of the things around me, I tend to drown out people too. There have been plenty of times when I have been quick to be aggravated by someone driving too slow in the fast lane or by someone taking their sweet time walking down the aisle at the grocery store. What about when someone pulls in the parking place in which you were clearly next in line? Or when you stop to let someone walk across the street and they don’t even give you a courtesy wave?
Clearly these are all things that push my buttons, but what if my interactions with these people are the opportunities Jesus is giving me to show them Him? What if the person who is holding up a sign that they are hungry and in need of food is the person Jesus placed in my path that day to meet a need? What if I learned to see others the way Jesus sees them rather than seeing them as inconveniences in my busy schedule?
I want to challenge us today (myself included). Before you head out this morning to your busy day, stop and ask God to show you the people He places in your path today. Ask Him to help you love and care for others the way He loves and cares for you. Not with a short temper as you’re rushing by, but with a calm, loving, patient and caring spirit.
How is God calling you to become more welcoming of others?
Author: Gracie Martin
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