Good Morning!

This morning while I was doing my bible study I remembered two specific experiences I had last year. Both of them were similar. Living down here in South Florida, people really aren’t that nice compared to other states. It’s almost like the “Southern Hospitality” phrase applies for the southern states, except South Florida. Let me tell you about the first one…

I went to a flower distributor to pick up boxes of flowers for my dad’s flower shop. Every time I have gone there or any other company like it, the people really do not have friendly attitudes, and well I grew accustomed to it. I go try to be friendly and I get a grunt, ignored, or misunderstood (not many of those people speak good English). The last time I went to this specific farm, everything went as it normally does: I drove up, gave the business name, signed the paper, waited a while for someone to actually take the paper from me so they could go in and get the flowers out of the giant cooler, had the boxes plopped on the floor, thrown, or put in my hand, I loaded the car, and went back to sign another paper. All that was a normal routine. This time, instead of saying have a nice day (and most likely being ignored) I said “have a blessed day.” The man, as usual, just turned and started to walk away like he didn’t even hear me. After about two or three steps turned around and said, “hey! You a Christian man?” I answered, “Yes.” Then after going there for months, the man took his glove off and wanted to shake my hand. JUST BECAUSE I WAS A CHRISTIAN! I was shocked, to say the least. I mean, I had been going to these places from time to time for years and I never, ever had any of them try to be nice to be.

The second one takes place just before Christmas. A man came into my dad’s store….which, by the way, if you ever want to order flowers, the website is 305flowers.com….to order an arrangement for Christmas. I was there that day and waited on that man. He bought a Christmas arrangement and before he left I wished him a Merry Christmas. He stopped, turned around to shake my hand and told me he hadn’t been wished Merry Christmas in years, if ever. He thanked me for not saying Happy Holidays and he really got all excited, and, well I guess you had to be there to get the full effect of his excitement. I thought that this was unusual also. Again, remember I am in South Florida.

Romans 12:10 reads in the King James version, “be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another. 1 John 4:11 reads in the NIV version, “dear friends, since God so loved us, we also aught to love one another.”

We need to love one another with our actions and not just in words. Hey! have you checked out Bible Trivia yet?