Friday, June 17, 2005
LIFE IS FULL OF OPPORTUNITIES
A man waiting in line in an airport makes the following observation:
"From a distance, I could see, but not hear, the brief exchange of conversation, followed by the handing over of a document and an identification card. The airline employee bent to his computer keyboard, printed a boarding pass and luggage tag, and smiled again as he pointed the traveler toward the security entrance.
Such an event as I describe would not have been unusual if it had not been conducted over and over and over, on the morning after a massive computer failure that had caused flight delays for thousands and thousands of airline passengers. The event that I described was one that was repeated throughout the time I stood in line, almost two hours.
Over and over, the men and women behind counters smiled as they greeted each customer. They conducted business efficiently, but politely, again and again. I wasn't the only one to notice what was happening. One person near me in the long line said, "I don't know how they can come to work on a day like this." Another said that it must take a certain kind of person to come in to such situation day after day.
Clearly the people behind the counters were well trained and if their smiles were not genuine, they certainly could have fooled me. I am convinced that what I witnessed was a good service. If anyone ever asked me to give a good example of how the members of a Christian family might be of service to each other, I would probably try to think of some extraordinary event. It would be easy to pass over the ordinary, everyday kind of service, the kind of people do when they are just doing a good job at the counter, day after day.
As we approach the season of Lent, it would be worth our while to examine everyday life and how we relate to the people we serve, on the phone, on the highway, who help stranded motorists at a time of great need. Take the time today to be courteous during your everyday, ordinary commuting.
A smile, as you allow another to get ahead of you may not make the trip any quicker but it may make the time more pleasant. If you have children, ask them to recall the times people have paid special attention to them. (Grownups sometimes talk over and above the children's heads, as if they were not present. The same is at times true for people in wheelchairs.) Take the time to pay attention to those around you. It will make a difference. As Jesus said, "The greatest among you is the one who serves the rest."
"From a distance, I could see, but not hear, the brief exchange of conversation, followed by the handing over of a document and an identification card. The airline employee bent to his computer keyboard, printed a boarding pass and luggage tag, and smiled again as he pointed the traveler toward the security entrance.
Such an event as I describe would not have been unusual if it had not been conducted over and over and over, on the morning after a massive computer failure that had caused flight delays for thousands and thousands of airline passengers. The event that I described was one that was repeated throughout the time I stood in line, almost two hours.
Over and over, the men and women behind counters smiled as they greeted each customer. They conducted business efficiently, but politely, again and again. I wasn't the only one to notice what was happening. One person near me in the long line said, "I don't know how they can come to work on a day like this." Another said that it must take a certain kind of person to come in to such situation day after day.
Clearly the people behind the counters were well trained and if their smiles were not genuine, they certainly could have fooled me. I am convinced that what I witnessed was a good service. If anyone ever asked me to give a good example of how the members of a Christian family might be of service to each other, I would probably try to think of some extraordinary event. It would be easy to pass over the ordinary, everyday kind of service, the kind of people do when they are just doing a good job at the counter, day after day.
As we approach the season of Lent, it would be worth our while to examine everyday life and how we relate to the people we serve, on the phone, on the highway, who help stranded motorists at a time of great need. Take the time today to be courteous during your everyday, ordinary commuting.
A smile, as you allow another to get ahead of you may not make the trip any quicker but it may make the time more pleasant. If you have children, ask them to recall the times people have paid special attention to them. (Grownups sometimes talk over and above the children's heads, as if they were not present. The same is at times true for people in wheelchairs.) Take the time to pay attention to those around you. It will make a difference. As Jesus said, "The greatest among you is the one who serves the rest."
# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 9:10 PM 
