Get Out There!

When my husband and I first got married, I immediately noticed how, when we were out and about, my mom and dad in-law would talk to anyone and everyone like they had been old friends forever. The checkout lady at the store, the people sitting at the next table over at the mall food court, the waitress, the man pumping gas next to them at the gas station. One time I even witnessed my mom in-law sit down next to a complete stranger at a bowling alley and 10 minutes later those 2 ladies had exchanged phone numbers and later got together for a lunch date! Most of us have our guard up when we are in a crowd of unfamiliar people, but Phil and Marilyn have a gift. They can put you at ease right away to them nobody is a stranger.

I tend to be the opposite, the kind who is more quiet until I get to know you and the kind that does not want to invade your personal space uninvited. I have often marveled at the talent some people have for connecting with others right away. Mark and his family have been very good for me in this area of my life and I have to say I am getting better and more outgoing as I get older.

Recently I had the opportunity to be a help to someone that I did not know very well. It required me to be in her home with her and her grandchildren for an afternoon to help her around the house. I could have said no since it was slightly out of my comfort zone but I said yes and I had such a fun afternoon getting to know this fantastic lady and her sweet grandkids. Back at Christmastime, GLCC had a women's night, The Gratitude Groove. I was on the fence about going since I did not know very many women at the church and I usually do not go to stuff like that alone. I went anyways and that was the night I ended up meeting my awesome friend Jenn, who's family is also adopting from Ethiopia! Wow, small world! I would have missed out on these blessings had I not been willing to get out there.

You just never know who are going to meet and what blessings are waiting out there for you in the form of other people. Next time it's your errand day, see how you might change someone's day. Make eye contact with strangers, smile at them! Ask the checkout lady how she is doing before she asks you. I promise you will have fun doing it and get a positive response from people. When I turn the tables and go out seeking to positively effect someone else instead of seeking out what I can get, I am usually the one who ends up getting blessed. John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another."