Give away smiles and encouragement.
Today God will use you to lift the spirits of people around you. Remember the joyous message of this holy season and let that joy radiate from you in smiles and generous words. Look for opportunities to make eye contact and communicate warmth and acceptance to every person you encounter.
Give up your place.
Today is a day for stepping aside and letting others go before you. Let people go ahead of you in line. Give motorists extra room to merge into your lane of traffic. Park your vehicle farther away from the store, and let God decide who will get the closer parking space that you’ve left vacant.
Give honor to those who serve you.
Notice the personhood of the people who serve you today—the waitress, the bank teller, the coffee barista, the grocery clerk, the office secretary, the crossing guard. Give them a friendly word, call them by name if you can, and thank them for helping you.
Give others the benefit of the doubt.
Too often we assume that we know a person’s thoughts or motives. Wrong negative assumptions can easily lead to hurt or angry feelings and escalate a conflict. For today, suspend negative assumptions and give people the benefit of the doubt.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
When the psalmist wrote this song, he was far away from the temple in Jerusalem. Although he wrote with longing for the courts of the Lord, it was not the temple building that drew him but rather the Lord who dwelt there. How lovely, the poet sang, to be in the presence of God, who loves his people so much that he makes his home in their midst.
Because of Jesus, God’s temple has moved from a building in Jerusalem into the hearts and lives of the people who call themselves the church.
