It's A Beautiful Thing

I was out running the other day (as per my new healthy habit) and I passed an older foreign gentleman out on his front lawn.  I'm not sure where he was from, but it wasn't here.  Most people I pass while on the sidewalk won't even look up at my eyes.  I've always wondered why.  But as soon as I made eye contact with this guy, the biggest smile I had ever seen came across his face, and then he threw his arm up in the air and gave me this very awkward looking wave.  It was awkward looking because he seemed very excited about this wave and put all of his effort into it.  The range of motion from side to side in the wave was just incredible.  It caught me so off guard that I almost tripped and fell right there in front of him.  It was interesting to see how exited he was just to see someone and be able to say hi.  He kind of reminded me of Mr. Bean.

This guy made my day.  Far too often I forget how much a simple smile can make someone’s day.  I know that's not a new concept or anything, but for some reason it's easily forgettable to me. I felt like I could ask this guy if I could come over for dinner and he would invite me into his home with open arms.  Who knows if this guy was a Christian, but I could tell he loved people.  How much more so should Christians love people?  I'm not saying every Christian should walk about giving these crazy waves to people, but I hope that people around those who follow Christ know they are loved.  Love is a powerful thing.  I have been privileged recently to witness this personally when people come to Christ.  It never gets old to see people respond to the grace and love of God.  Not only in seeing lives changed, but in worship as well.  When people respond to the love of God, whether in a worship setting or daily life, it's a beautiful thing.