And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. Matthew 18:5
My youngest is thoughtful and kind, but naturally quiet and reserved when dealing with most people. He’s been working hard to overcome some of that shyness. It takes him a bit to work up the courage to speak out, but he’s really growing. There are times that he blows me away with how far he’s come!
We were at the grocery store the other day checking out with a cashier who was very polite to me, but didn’t seem all too happy with her job. We have no idea what kind of day she’d been through, and I didn’t think anything about her attitude until I watched my youngest show kindness to her. He took initiative by bringing the next cart to her and even trying to talk with her. I was so proud of him! Unfortunately, the cashier completely ignored him. He never mentioned anything afterwards, but I’m sure that didn’t bolster his confidence. As a matter of fact, it could cause him to quit trying for a while.
On the flip side, there’ve been so many people who do engage them in conversation. They’ve had the best discussions with adults! I’m forever grateful for those who welcome our young people. They’re contributing to their success in life. I’ve been noticing those who ignore our children and youth, those who talk at them, and those who talk with them. Did you ever notice that the ones who aren’t setting the good example, are the ones who are the first to complain about the youth of today?
Whether we know it or not, we’re making an impact on someone’s life (rather young or old) with every contact we have. It could be for the positive or the negative, but I guarantee that our interactions are bolstering their confidence and making them feel good or chipping away at their confidence and causing their head to be a little lower than before our contact with them. When we start thinking about the effects our words and actions have on someone else, we realize how important we are to every person that crosses our path.
Remember that the choice of nourishing or poisoning is yours with each interaction you have. We want to be illuminated like the old hymn says in order to have open eyes that we may see how to build confidence, open ears that we may hear what needs to be said, an open mouth to bear warm kindness, and an open heart to nourish all who come in contact with us.
