Guest Post by Author Lauri Lemke Thompson
“Be kind and compassionate to one another.” Ephesians 4:32 (NIV).
For fourteen days my husband and I had endured big-city traffic, bad drivers, getting lost, more fast food than we cared to recall, even smoke and wildfires. Not to say the Pacific Northwest isn’t beautiful. We were just weary road warriors. Now it was time to leave all that behind and walk onto a cruise ship to Alaska.
Every staffer greeted us warmly. I wondered how they could possibly be happy to see us when just minutes ago they had scooted a few thousand guests off the ship from the previous cruise? No matter – I chose to allow myself to believe they truly cared about little ol’ me.
I began to sink into the loveliness of letting others wait on me. It’s an indulgence I seldom experience.
We sat down to lunch, and it was the same. “Welcome aboard.” “What can I get you, ma’am?” “May I bring you a beverage?” “We’re happy you’re here, and I wish you a good cruise.” They’re happy I’m here – amazing.
I was special. People wanted to take care of me. “Okay, here I am. Pamper me,” I felt like saying.
A couple years later we sailed on a different cruise line – one known for its supreme customer service. As we came on board, our names were proclaimed over the speaker system: “The Thompson family is here. Welcome aboard to the Thompsons!”
The crew members broke into seemingly spontaneous applause – for us! I had never been “announced” before when I entered a room.
I could bask in these rare occasions when others make me feel coddled – and I think I will. But what if I also turn my thoughts more often to: “Wow, I wonder what things I could do in my everyday life that would make someone else feel waited on and catered to? And how much of a day-changer might it be for them?”
Isn’t that feeling of being special a deep craving inside all of us? Many people don’t feel important or “worth it.” Some feel like a number in a crowd, overlooked and ignored. Others are just exhausted from taking care of others.
“Notice me! Care for me!” You can almost hear people crying out at times – but only if you listen for it.
Yes, I ought to “make someone’s day” more frequently. That may mean nothing more than a friendly smile and greeting, or it may mean putting my plans aside for a particular time slot to bless someone.
A gift, an encouraging word, an expression of gratitude, a note complimenting the person, perhaps offering my services?
Maybe you’d like to join me. Maybe the people we take time for will feel noticed, cared for, and even pampered – instead of feeling like tired and dusty road warriors.
Prayer: Open my eyes, Lord, that I might see the hurting, the needy, the lonely heart in need of encouragement. Help me to see others as you see them – valued and created in your image. Use me as a conduit of your love by making the difference in someone’s day. In your name I pray, Amen.
Thought: “Friends become couriers of grace, conduits of heaven’s grace. Those of us who need much grace come to treasure good friends.” Max Lucado
A Wisconsin native, Lauri Lemke Thompson appreciates living with her husband in the lovely Ozark mountains in Branson, Missouri. She is active in Christian Women’s Connection (Stonecroft) and the Ozarks Chapter of the American Christian Writers. Her two books, Hitting Pause and Pressing Forward, are collections of her articles and devotions. Her bimonthly column appears in the Branson Globe newspaper.