Did you make someone feel welcome this week?

Did you make someone feel welcome this week?

Confession time. I’m an introvert. For those who know me, this will come as no great surprise, but it took me far too long to come to this conclusion. My stumbling block was that I always wanted to be in the thick of things. I always wanted to know what was going on around me. (I am not one for surprises.) These quirks have been a help to me as an IT professional, but on Sunday mornings, it usually winds up reflecting a weakness in my own spiritual walk: interacting with my community, which in this case is talking to people on Sunday morning. It seems so simple, right? Say hello to other members, make some small talk, crack a few jokes, and you’re golden, right? Besides the fact that this only allows for shallow relationships, it also amplifies another stumbling block: talking to visitors. I mean, if I barely interact with the people I know, how much less inclined will I be to talk to a complete stranger? That answer, more often than I’d like to admit, is not good. 

So how do I overcome this? Do I put on my “extrovert effort” and greet everyone? Well, that seems slightly disingenuous if we are called to be authentic. So what am I supposed to do—just hope one of my fellow members who “knows no strangers” will handle it? Possibly, but what if they don’t notice them?

I could “what if?” all day long, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t do much good to worry, right? (Luke 12:25) That’s when the answer hit me. It will sound crazy, of course, but maybe I just smile and say “good morning” as I’m walking by? Maybe I help convey the friendly atmosphere of our congregation by not closing myself off? Maybe I allow myself out of my comfort zone so I can help further the kingdom of God, even if it feels like the most insignificant way I could be doing it at that moment?

So to bring this post full circle… who did you greet this week? Was it just the folks you usually sit by, or did you talk to someone new? And more importantly than just greeting people… did you make someone feel welcome? Did you reveal a truth about the body of Christ… that there’s a place for everyone, no matter where they’re from or how they got to where they are?

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