Do you know who I remember? I typically remember the people who smile and use my name.
Kind of simple. Pretty Obvious. I know. But so often overlooked. The other day, I was in a conversation with a new friend. In the middle of a conversation, a man walked up and said, "I don’t mean to interrupt"…and proceeded to interrupt. What was interesting is that he never looked at me. No smile. No acknowledgment. It wasn’t personal. I saw him do that with others in the room. He had a way of moving past people as if they didn’t exist.
I’m amazed at some retail stores. They spend several million dollars in advertising. They target particular age groups through television or radio spots. Yet, at the check out line, the clerk doesn’t smile or say "Thank You."
Today, I can give my smile to many people. It may just be a momentary encounter while I’m getting gas or at the cleaners. I can smile at the bank teller or the clerk at Wal-Mart. I can smile at a person who I pass by when I am visiting someone in the hospital. It may not seem like much. In fact, you might be reading this and think this is a "no brainer". May it is obvious. I just know that a smile makes a world of difference.
It is not a matter of being friendly or trying to manipulate another person. Smiling at someone is a simple way of recognizing another as a human being worth a moment of attention. Some people seem to save their smile for the "important people" in their life. This might be a person who is glum all day until his biggest client comes into the office and then he smiles. Why wait? Why reserve your smile only for those who can benefit you in some way?
Today, I want to smile at others–one person at a time. I want to deliberatly use another’s name while in conversation with that person.
Maybe in a small way, I will communicate to another human being that she/he is worth something. Yes, I would like for that person to know she or he is valued by Jesus. The place to begin is by those of us to claim to follow Jesus to communicate value in everyday life.
Perhaps today, I can best be used by Jesus to communicate worth and value to another human being. For many people, that will begin with a simple smile.
Hi Jim,
I agree with you about how lovely it is when people smile at you.
A couple of caveats…
1. I’m often accused of not smiling enough… it’s not that i can’t smile, or that i don’t smile, it is just that sometimes i’m concentrating, and smiles don’t come as natural to me as others… i’m working on it, but i want it to be natural… which brings me to my next point…
2. some people seem to think that turning up their lips is the same as a smile… if you smile, it has to be natural, an expression of what you are feeling… otherwise it looks more like a snarl!
Thanks Brett–and thanks for your caveats as well. I especially relate to the first one.
Last night my wife and I were at an Italian restaraunt. We were very impressed with the consistent and seemingly natural smile of the waitress. Her spirit and actions cohered. Her service was excellent. wow.. wish I would have spoken a word for her.
At least we should be pleasant and be known as people of grace.
For someone who is an instinctive “smiler” and from the South, I am reminded of how many times a simple smile from someone has spoken volumes to me…Now that I am in a courthouse for most of my work, smiles are rare due to the stressful nature of the surroundings; therefore, I have found that at least eye to eye contact and a nod of my head towards a person speaks to people as well. It is a basic human need to be “acknowledged” by mankind and we can do that with such little effort if we do not allow ourselves to become jaundiced by a society that has made smiling an untrustworthy gesture or a eye contact an invasion of one’s privacy. I vow today to renew my belief in smiling. Thanks Jim.
Carole,
Thanks for your note. What you say is very good! What you say is also very true. There are other gestures which also communicate that another human being is worth something.